Abstract
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of substance use on the occurrence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and severity following trauma. A total of 600 charts from a level 1 trauma center were screened (N = 246). Patients positive for ethyl alcohol had more occurrences of SIRS (P = .005) and more severe SIRS than other substance users (P = .0008). Patients positive for cannabis had less severe SIRS than other substance users (P = .02). Substance users could be at increased risk for poor SIRS-related outcomes (sepsis, organ failure) following trauma. Clinicians can use this information to identify high-risk patients early and tailor treatment strategies.