Adolescent trauma: Motor vehicle crashes while under the influence

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the outcome of adolescent trauma victims with positive toxicology screening who were involved in motor vehicle crashes. This was a retrospective study conducted at an urban Level I trauma center. A sample of 134 subjects with positive toxicology screen, ages 15 to 25, for the period January 1993 to December 1996, were included in the study. Outcome, sex, age, injury severity score, length of stay, and hospital cost were analyzed by multiple regression. A significant relationship between sex, age, injury severity, length of stay, and hospital cost was established (p $<$.0001). Subsequently, Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between outcome, injury severity, discharge, and hospital cost (p $<$.05).