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STAIDLE ET AL
The authors of this study sought to evaluate treatment strategies for AWS in a patient population with high rates of recurrent ED visits related to alcohol abuse. Adult patients included in this study were grouped into three arms: phenobarbital only, benzodiazepine only, or combination therapy. In order to be included in the study, patients needed to have one previous encounter where they were treated with phenobarbital, followed by a separate encounter with only benzodiazepines. The primary outcome was admission or discharge, and bounce-back to the ED within 48 hours. Secondary outcomes were level of care on admission, ED length of stay, first and highest CIWA score, and adverse events. Limitations include single center retrospective study, lack of treatment protocols resulting in practice variation, and lack of randomization.
