Prevalence and impact of alcohol and other drug use disorders on sedation and mechanical ventilation: a retrospective study

Abstract Background: Experience suggests that patients with alcohol and other drug use disorders (AOD) are commonly cared for in our intensive care units (ICU’s) and require more sedation. We sought to determine the impact of AOD on sedation requirement and mechanical ventilation (MV) duration. Methods: Retrospective review of randomly selected records of adult patients undergoing MV in the medical ICU. Diagnoses of AOD were identified using strict criteria in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and through review of