• Eliisa Nissilä, Raili Suojaranta, Marja Hynninen, Sebastian Dahlbacka, and Johanna Hästbacka.
• Department of Perioperative, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2024 Mar 1; 68 (3): 337344337-344.

BackgroundWe investigated the prevalence and effects of hazardous alcohol consumption on perioperative complications in cardiac surgery patients. Preoperative hazardous alcohol consumption has been associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications in noncardiac patient populations.MethodsWe retrospectively collected data from the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database and electronic patient records on all cardiac surgery patients treated in the intensive care units (ICUs) of Helsinki University Hospital (n = 919) during 2017. Data on preoperative alcohol consumption were routinely collected using the alcohol use disorder identification test consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire. We analyzed perioperative data and outcomes for any associations with hazardous alcohol consumption. Outcome measures were length of stay in the ICU, re-admissions to ICU, bleeding and infectious complications, and incidence of postoperative arrhythmias.ResultsAUDIT-C scores were available for 758 (82.5%) patients, of whom 107 (14.1%) fulfilled the criteria for hazardous alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C score of 5/12 or higher for women and 6/12 or higher for men). Patients with hazardous alcohol consumption were younger, median age 59 (IQR 52.0-67.0) vs. 69.0 (IQR 63.0-74.0), p < .001, and more often men 93.5% vs. 71.9%, p < .001 than other patients and had an increased risk for ICU re-admissions [adjusted OR (aOR) 4.37 (95% CI, 1.60-11.95)] and severe postoperative infections aOR 3.26 (95% CI, 1.42-7.54).ConclusionCardiac surgery patients with a history of hazardous alcohol consumption are younger than other patients and are predominantly men. Hazardous alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of severe postoperative infections and ICU re-admissions.© 2023 The Authors. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.

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