Abstract

A review of 875 dead-on-arrivals and sudden deaths occurring in an emergency room (ER) in a metropolitan area of 225,000 during 1970 and 1971 has shown that substance abuse, and especially alcoholism, is involved in more than half of the deaths where a psychiatric condition contributed to mortality. It was also discovered that nearly three fourths of sudden death and DOA patients with substance abuse histories had visited the ER at least once within the six months preceding death. Over 50% of patients with other psychiatric symptoms had also come to the ER at least once before sudden death. This compares to rates of one out of three for persons who died of strictly medical causes and the even lower rates for accident and assault victims and for children age 3 or under. The findings support a need for increased appreciation by the medical and psychiatric professions of the mortality associated with substance abuse, and with alcoholism in particular.