We thank Dr Harmouche and his colleagues for their analysis and critique of our research.1  Let us address some of the concerns raised in their letter. To clarify the process that we used to determine patient inclusion and eligibility for analysis, we will elaborate further. Patients were identified by diagnosis related group (DRG) codes and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes as having been treated for alcohol withdrawal. Patients were then crossed against the inclusion and exclusion criteria documented in the article, in chronological order of admission. A total of 60 patients were identified as having received the phenobarbital protocol in the predefined study range, so a total of 60 patients receiving the revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol (CIWA-Ar) protocol were included as a convenience measure.

As the patients were included on a rolling basis, no determination about their clinical outcome or course...

You do not currently have access to this content.