KEMH emergency room chief warns the public about the dangers of alcohol before Cup Match

By Leanne McGrath

Emergency room medics are treating people for excessive drinking “nearly every day” in Bermuda.

Dr Edward Schultz, who has been chief of the ER at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for 26 years, said alcohol-related injuries had a huge financial, as well as personal, impact, and he urged residents to be aware of the health risks, especially when celebrating over Cup Match. “We always see an increase in patients in the ER over Cup Match — people are partying, celebrating, they go out and drink,” he said. Alcohol abuse manifests in many forms, according to Dr Schultz, including people who are injured or killed by drink-driving.

He has also treated patients who became ill by binge drinking or got hurt during alcohol-fuelled “assaults and domestic disputes”.

“We’ve seen some persons injured while drinking and driving trucks at work,” added Dr Schultz, the director of emergency services and hyperbaric medicine.

“Nearly every day we deal with alcohol abuse in the ER and it comes in many forms — someone may feel unusual abdominal pains from drinking too much, or someone is in a road traffic accident.

“We have people brought to the ER who have had so much to drink they’ve lost consciousness, they pass out.

“Alcohol is the most pervasive drug in our community. It’s legal and not considered a drug but it is.

“It undoubtedly causes the most harm. I’m concerned that many people in our community use heroin, cocaine and other drugs which are dangerous to their health, but the number one substance that causes death and injury in Bermuda is alcohol.”

Dr Schultz said the “overwhelming majority” of serious and fatal road accidents in Bermuda were related to alcohol use, and sometimes other drugs.

“Alcohol is the prime offender,” he said. “It impairs your judgment and reaction time, which is very important when operating a motor vehicle.

“I could count on the fingers of two hands the number of serious or fatal accidents that do not involve substance abuse.”

Dr Schultz estimated the emergency room admitted dozens of serious head injuries each year and that “the majority of them are from road traffic accidents”.

He warned that you could be killed by drink-driving, could kill someone else or end up paralysed in a wheelchair.

He said: “If you’re on a motorbike and have a serious crash, you are very likely to sustain significant head injuries.

“You may also have serious chest, abdominal and spinal injuries. There are people who have been paralysed who cannot walk again from such accidents.

“People can suffer severe injuries that affect their ability to work for the rest of their lives. You face a long rehab process and a large medical bill.

“Both the driver and any passengers as well as the general public are placed in danger when someone drinks excessively and tries to operate a motor vehicle.

“It’s not just the driver who has an accident who suffers when they drink and drive, it’s also their family when they are injured or killed as well as any other victims and their families.”

Dr Schultz also urged people not to drink and then go swimming or operate a boat.

“They run the risk of injuring themselves and others,” he said. “Drownings and near-drowning in adults are often related to alcohol. It impairs judgment and your ability to react to an emergency, you’re not as sharp mentally.

“You metabolise about one ounce of alcohol an hour, which is one beer or glass of wine or mixed drink. If you have two drinks in one hour you’re likely to be over the legal limit.

“People who drink excessively, on a regular and infrequent basis, their health is at risk.”

Dr Schultz warned that drinking excessively could cause alcoholic ketoacidosis.

When you drink alcohol, your pancreas may stop producing insulin for a short time. Without this, your cells cannot use the glucose you consume for energy, so will burn fat, which results in by-products known as ketone bodies that can build up in your bloodstream, resulting in a life-threatening condition.

“Drinking excessive amounts can cause alcoholic ketoacidosis, you get intractable vomiting and abdominal pain,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of patients with seizures from alcohol withdrawal if they have alcohol dependency.

“This isn’t someone who has one or two drinks a day but four or a lot more on a daily basis.

“When young people drink large amounts it can dramatically drop their blood sugar and this can cause a seizure. When little kids get alcohol they can present with seizures.

“Youngsters are prone to developing low blood sugars and that can lead to injury. If the blood sugar is low the child can have a seizure. I’ve also seen young people imbibe enough alcohol that they stop breathing.”

Dr Schultz said the ER did not treat many under-18s for alcohol-related illnesses but it was “fairly common” in older people.

“They can get serious injuries from falls when drinking alcohol. Many falls in the elderly may be related to alcohol abuse and head injuries can be fatal in an older person.

“The number of elderly people who abuse alcohol is significant. This is in general, not just Bermuda.”

Aside from the health implications of drinking too much alcohol, patients can also face substantial financial costs for treatment.

“There’s a tremendous cost to alcohol-related issues, undoubtedly,” Dr Schultz said. “It’s a huge financial burden if someone is in an accident and they end up in ICU and hospital. It’s a huge personal cost, especially if you’re not insured.

“This type of issue has been brought to my attention — it’s very frightening how quickly medical bills add up.”

Dr Schultz said people could enjoy an occasional drink sensibly but he hoped to raise awareness of the risks of excessive alcohol use.

“It’s very sad so many people are adversely affected but I don’t think we’re going to eradicate the use of alcohol, we can only try to educate people about the risks.

“People have a right to choose what they’re going to do. Individuals have to make the decision that alcohol is no longer good for them and they have to stop drinking.

“Education from early age is really most valuable thing you can do.”