Droperidol versus haloperidol for chemical restraint of agitated and combative patients

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To compare two related pharmacological agents used for the chemical restraint of agitated and combative patients.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A randomized, double-blind, prospective study was carried out in patients requiring physical restraint in a university hospital emergency department.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-eight violent or agitated adult patients whom the attending physician believed would benefit from chemical restraint to protect the patient and staff and to expedite evaluation.

INTERVENTION

Twenty-one participants were administered 5 mg haloperidol IM; 26 were administered 5 mg droperidol IM; 12 were administered haloperidol IV; and nine were administered 5 mg droperidol IV.

RESULTS

All patients were rated on a five-point combativeness scale at five, ten, 15, 30, and 60 minutes after the study drug was given. Vital signs also were recorded at these times. IM droperidol decreased combativeness significantly more than IM haloperidol at ten (P = .006), 15 (P = .01), and 30 (P = .04) minutes. There was no significant difference between the two drugs when given by the IV route (beta at the 5% confidence level, P = .78).

CONCLUSION

In equal IM doses (5 mg), droperidol results in more rapid control of agitated patients than haloperidol, without any increase in undesirable side effects.

[Droperidol in the treatment of hiccup of central origin]

Persistent intractable hiccup (over 24 hours) was observed in four patients. Administration of 2.5 mg droperidol intravenously stopped the hiccup for some hours (4-12). This dose was repeated every 4-12 hours for some days. The hiccup stopped completely.

Ineffectiveness of acupuncture and droperidol in preventing vomiting following strabismus repair in children

The antiemetic effects and side-effects of P6 acupuncture and droperidol pre-treatment were evaluated in a randomized, patient- and observer-blinded study. Ninety unpremedicated children of ASA physical status I or II undergoing outpatient strabismus repair, and aged over one year, were studied. All patients received intravenous thiopentone 5 mg.kg-1, atropine 0.02 mg.kg-1 and succinylcholine 1.5 mg.kg-1, and the trachea was intubated. Patients then received either intravenous droperidol 0.075 mg.kg-1, droperidol plus five minutes' P6 acupuncture, or acupuncture alone. Anaesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide 66% and halothane 1.5-2.0% in oxygen with spontaneous ventilation. There was no difference in the incidence of vomiting in the droperidol group (17% before discharge from hospital and 41% up to 48 hours after discharge), combined treatment group (17% and 34% respectively) and acupuncture group (27% and 45% respectively). Corresponding figures for the incidence of vomiting before discharge were 17%, 17% and 27% respectively; these values were also not different. The incidence of restlessness was significantly greater in children receiving droperidol (63%) or both treatments (67%) than in those receiving acupuncture alone (30%; P = 0.007). P6 acupuncture and droperidol are equally ineffective in preventing vomiting within 48 hours of paediatric strabismus repair. Droperidol is associated with increased incidence of postoperative restlessness.

Histopathology and evaluation of potentiation of morphine-induced antinociception by intrathecal droperidol in the rat

Clinical studies have indicated that a low dose of the dopamine D2-receptor antagonist droperidol given epidurally potentiate the antinociceptive effect of epidural morphine. The present study was conducted in order to evaluate this drug interaction in a rat model. Rats were given morphine and droperidol intrathecally in several combinations of doses. It was found that droperidol had no antinociceptive effect by itself, nor in combination with morphine. It was also shown that droperidol and morphine exert no histopathological effects on the rat spinal cord. This discrepancy between clinical findings and experimental pain studies suggests different modes of action of droperidol in the two situations.

Five-drug antiemetic combination for cisplatin chemotherapy

A combination of metoclopramide, dexamethasone, droperidol, lorazepam, and diphenhydramine was used in prophylaxis of high-dose (greater than or equal to 100 mg/m2) or moderate dose (greater than or equal to 50 mg/m2) cisplatin. Sixty minutes prior to starting cisplatin, 16 mg dexamethasone, 50 mg diphenhydramine, and 0.5 mg lorazepam were given orally (PO). Droperidol 1 mg was given intramuscularly (IM) 15 minutes prior to beginning cisplatin. Repetitive doses of intravenous (IV) metoclopramide, 2 mg/kg in 75 ml 5% dextrose in water over 15 minutes was given 30 minutes prior to, and at 1 1/2, 4 1/2, and 7 1/2 hours after beginning cisplatin chemotherapy. Only patients with nausea and/or vomiting received subsequent doses of 2 mg/kg metoclopramide IV every 3 hours as needed. Patients refractory to metoclopramide were given 1 mg droperidol IM and 50 mg of diphenhydramine PO every 6 hours. There were 19 men and 9 women with a median age of 58 (range 31-75) years. Complete protection from nausea and vomiting in all courses of treatment occurred in 17 (61%) patients. In 63% and 70% of the 57 evaluable courses, there was neither nausea nor vomiting, during the first 24 hours after cisplatin. When present, nausea was mild and the median number of vomiting episodes was 2 (range 1-3). This antiemetic regimen was well tolerated. Toxicities were mild and occurred in 3 patients (angioneurotic edema, transient episode of facial twitching, and heaviness of tongue, respectively). The 5-drug antiemetic combination can prevent cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting in a majority of patients.

[Clinical study on total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, fentanyl and ketamine--13. Application for pediatric patients]

Total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, fentanyl, and ketamine (FK) was administered to 56 pediatric surgical patients ranging in ages from 5 to 15 years to evaluate their hemodynamics during anesthesia, post-operative hepatic as well as renal functions, and post-operative sedation as well as analgesia. These data were compared with those of the patients who underwent almost the same surgical procedures under enflurane-N2O anesthesia. The post-operative s-GOT, s-GPT, BUN, creatinine levels were not elevated significantly as compared with pre-operative levels in the FK group. As compared with those patients who received enflurane anesthesia, the blood pressure in the FK groups was higher by 15-30 mmHg, but it was stable during anesthesia without any complications. Their post-operative sedation and analgesia were better in the FK group than in the enflurane group and the complications such as nausea and vomiting were observed less frequently in the FK patients than in the patients who received anesthesia with ketamine alone reported in literatures. The data described above suggest that this method of anesthesia deserves further detailed clinical trials for pediatric patients.

[Clinical study on total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, fentanyl and ketamine--12. Effects on plasma complement and immunoglobulin concentrations]

Complements and immunoglobulins in the plasma are the important humoral factors to maintain immunity. As there is no study on immune response to total intravenous anesthesia with droperidol, fentanyl and ketamine (DFK), twelve patients who underwent abdominal, neck dissection, or plastic surgery were studied to determine plasma concentrations of complements and immunoglobulins. In five patients of isoflurane group, anesthesia was induced with intravenous thiopental 5 mg.kg-1 and succinylcholine 0.8-1 mg.kg-1 and maintained with 1-2% isoflurane in nitrous oxide (50%) and oxygen (50%). The remaining seven patients of the DFK group received intravenous droperidol 0.25 mg.kg-1, fentanyl 1-2 micrograms.kg-1, ketamine 1-1.5 mg.kg-1 and succinylcholine 0.8-1 mg.kg-1 for the induction of anesthesia, and then they were given a total dose of fentanyl 5-15 micrograms.kg-1, ketamine 2 mg.kg-1.hr-1 and oxygen (30%) for the maintenance of anesthesia. Vecuronium was given intravenously as needed. Lactated Ringer's solution was used for intraoperative fluid replacement. A total of 40 ml of arterial blood was drawn on four occasions, just before the induction of anesthesia, at the recovery from anesthesia, on the third and tenth post-operative days. Plasma concentrations of complements (C3.C4) and immunoglobulins (IgG.IgA.IgM.IgD) were measured by immuno-turbidimetry. C3 concentrations in the plasma decreased significantly when the patients recovered from anesthesia, but they increased significantly on the third and tenth post-operative days in the isoflurane group. In the DFK group, they increased significantly on the tenth post-operative day only. No significant difference in the C3 concentrations was detected between two groups at any time of measurement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Metoclopramide does not decrease the incidence of nausea and vomiting after alfentanil for outpatient anaesthesia

Sixty patients were studied in a randomized, double-blind manner to determine whether metoclopramide added to droperidol decreased further the incidence of emetic symptoms (nausea, retching, vomiting) in outpatients receiving alfentanil anaesthesia for nasal surgery. Group 1 (n = 30) received metoclopramide 0.15 mg.kg-1 and Group 2 (n = 30) received placebo. In addition, both groups received droperidol 0.02 mg.kg-1 immediately before anaesthesia which was supplemented by alfentanil 20 micrograms.kg-1 at induction followed by an infusion of 0.25-1 micrograms.kg-1.min-1. Emetic symptoms were assessed 0-3 hr, 3-6 hr and 6-24 hr after surgery. Both groups received similar doses of alfentanil (mean +/- SD; Group 1 4641 +/- 1894 micrograms, Group 2 4714 +/- 1640 micrograms). The percentage of patients who had either nausea or vomiting at 0-3, 3-6 or 6-24 hr was 23%, 14% and 13% in Group 1; and 20%, 17% and 10% in Group 2. The overall incidence for each group was 8/30 (27%). There was no difference in the incidence of emetic symptoms between the groups at any time interval or throughout the study. Metoclopramide did not improve upon the antiemesis of droperidol during alfentanil anaesthesia for outpatient nasal surgery.

Low-dose droperidol versus standard-dose droperidol for prevention of postoperative vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine whether a low dose of droperidol is as effective as a high dose in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery.

DESIGN

Randomized, double-blind study.

SETTING

Operating room and recovery room at a university medical center.

PATIENTS

One hundred children undergoing strabismus procedures.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were divided randomly into three groups and received either droperidol 75 microgram/kg, droperidol 20 microgram/kg, or saline.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Vomiting was assessed in all groups, as was time to discharge and ability to perform a satisfactory postoperative eye examination. Children who received droperidol vomited less frequently than those who did not (p = 0.0521). There was no difference in the frequency of vomiting between the two groups that received droperidol.

CONCLUSION

Droperidol 20 microgram/kg is as effective as droperidol 75 microgram/kg in preventing vomiting after pediatric strabismus surgery. Because higher doses of droperidol may sedate some patients, the lowest effective dose should be used. In this study, however, there was no statistically significant difference with regard to length of recovery room stay.

Oral midazolam in paediatric premedication

In a premedication study involving 135 children, aged 1-10 years, four regimens were investigated: (i) no premedication; (ii) oral trimeprazine tartrate 2 mg/kg, methadone 0.1 mg/kg, droperidol 0.15 mg/kg (TMD); (iii) intramuscular midazolam (Dormicum; Roche) 0.15 mg/kg; and (iv) oral midazolam 0.45 mg/kg. All premedications were given 60 minutes before a standard halothane anaesthetic. No impairment of cardiovascular stability occurred but after premedication the mean oxygen saturation decreased by 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively, in the intramuscular midazolam and TMD groups. Overall, children under 5 years of age behaved less satisfactorily in the holding room and at induction, than those over 5 years (P less than 0.01). Midazolam, intramuscularly and orally, produced more satisfactory behaviour than the other two regimens (P less than 0.05) and, combined with a 70% more rapid recovery than the TMD regimen (P less than 0.05), suggests that oral midazolam is a more effective paediatric premedication agent than placebo or TMD.

The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in women undergoing laparoscopy is influenced by the day of menstrual cycle

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a major cause of postoperative morbidity. It can lead to increased recovery time, delaying patient discharge and an increase in hospital costs. Past studies have shown that postoperative nausea and vomiting is more frequent in women than men, appears to elevate around the time of menarche and is reduced around the time of menopause. This retrospective review of a one-year experience of laparoscopic tubal ligation at our institute examined the effect of menstrual cycle on postoperative nausea and vomiting. The anaesthetic and surgical techniques were consistent for all patients. Patient data included age, weight, last day of menstrual cycle, the length of anaesthetic, the dose of inhalational agent, the dose of narcotic, emesis on emergence and whether or not droperidol was used. Of the the 235 patients in the study, the incidence of nausea and vomiting was 28%. One hundred fifty-eight had had no preoperative antiemetic and 77 had received droperidol. These two groups were analyzed separately. The incidence in the group not receiving droperidol was 33.5% and in the droperidol group, 16.9% (P less than 0.01). The incidence of nausea and vomiting was higher on the first eight menstrual days (51.6 vs 21.6, P less than 0.001), was highest on day five of the menstrual cycle and lowest on days 18, 19, and 20 where there was no nausea and vomiting. Droperidol reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting but the variation in postoperative nausea and vomiting during the cycle persisted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of neuroleptic agents on rat skeletal muscle contracture in vitro

The purpose of this investigation was to examine and compare the effects of both in vivo pretreatment and in vitro treatment with the neuroleptic agents droperidol, haloperidol, and trifluoperazine on skeletal muscle contracture using an in vitro model. Strips of normal rat diaphragm were challenged with succinylcholine and halothane (halothane: 1% and 3%) subsequent to either in vitro administration (10-100 microM) or in vivo pretreatment (0.35-2.80 mg/kg) with droperidol, haloperidol, or trifluoperazine. After equilibration, maximum increases in tension were recorded and mean data analyzed by analysis of variance (P less than 0.05). When either droperidol or trifluoperazine was administered in vivo, contracture values after exposure to succinylcholine and halothane were significantly decreased. After in vivo pretreatment with haloperidol or in vitro administration of droperidol, succinylcholine-induced contractures were significantly reduced; contractures subsequently induced by halothane did not significantly differ from that of controls. In vitro treatment with haloperidol and trifluoperazine, however, produced significant increases in tension in muscles exposed to succinylcholine and halothane. This study provides evidence that droperidol may be considered a safe anesthetic adjunct in malignant hyperthermia-susceptible patients, and, additionally, that caution should be exercised when interpreting results from studies in which contracture testing is performed on muscle from patients treated with neuroleptic agents.

Inhibition of pyrogen Escherichia coli fever with intracerebral administration of prazosin, dihydrobenzperidol and nifedipin in the rabbits

1. The thermoregulatory, effector processes were investigated after treatment with prazosin (PRA), dihydrobenzperidol (DHBP) and nifedipin (ADA) applied to the thermosensitive zone of the anterior hypothalamus (PO/AH) on normothermic and feverish rabbits (LPS, lipopolysaccharide E. coli; 1 meg/kg, i.v.). 2. The alpha 1-noradrenergic receptor antagonists, PRA and DHBP, applied to the PO/AH produced an abolishment of fever elicited by pyrogen i.v. injection mainly because of vasodilation of ear skin vessels and attenuation of metabolic rate. 3. Calcium channel blocker, ADA, also induced a decline in the rabbit's core temperature in the same manner. 4. All these drugs given to the PO/AH did not change the body temperature in normothermic rabbits. 5. These results, therefore, strongly suggest that alpha 1-noradrenergic receptors subserve the coordinated thermoregulatory mechanisms in PO/AH which are required for antipyresis. The inhibition of Ca2+ turnover is discussed as a possible mechanism of antipyretic action of these drugs given to the PO/AH.

Patient-controlled antiemesis for cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting

Nausea and emesis during cancer chemotherapy are very common, but can often be controlled with repetitive boli of antiemetic drugs. However, some patients, especially those with anticipatory symptoms, experience nausea and emesis despite antiemetic prophylaxis. An increased participation of these patients in the prophylaxis and treatment of these highly subjective symptoms may lead to better palliation. A patient-controlled infusion pump was assessed in nine patients receiving cisplatin, in whom high-dose metoclopramide (5 mg/kg) had failed (greater than 3 emetic episodes) during previous treatment cycles. Improved palliation was achieved in every case with on-demand boli in combination with a continuous infusion of metoclopramide or droperidol. Eight of the nine patients preferred the patient-controlled system to the conventional fixed-dose bolus regimens. The infusion pump functioned safely and reliably. Antiemetic treatment with the patient-controlled device was superior to previous conventional methods in this group of difficult-to-treat patients.

Oral premedication in children. A comparison of trimeprazine with a trimeprazine, droperidol and methadone mixture

One hundred children who presented for minor general surgical procedures were randomly assigned to receive one of two oral premedications. Those in group A (n = 50) were given 3 mg/kg of trimeprazine and those in group B (n = 50) a mixture of trimeprazine 1.0 mg/kg, droperidol 0.15 mg/kg and methadone 0.08 mg/kg. Patients in group B were more likely to be asleep on arrival in the anaesthetic room (p less than 0.02) and were less likely to be distressed at induction of anaesthesia (p less than 0.02). Thiopentone requirements were less in group B (p less than 0.001). The incidence of side effects was similar in the two groups. It is concluded that the mixture produces more satisfactory sedation than trimeprazine.

Combined electroconvulsive and neuroleptic therapy in schizophrenia refractory to neuroleptics

The results of treatment in 13 schizophrenic patients (nine males, four females) who underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) because of varying degrees of therapy resistance to neuroleptics (therapy failures, renewed and in some cases catatonic exacerbation under neuroleptic therapy, neuroleptic intolerance) are reported. The single treatments, which were carried out on average 12 times (between six and 20 times), led from very good to good remission in a period of between 10 and 7 years in nine patients. Four patients did not respond adequately: the small improvement of psychopathology on discharge correlated with unfavorable outcome. In three of these patients, the asthenic syndrome was found on admission and persisted. In patients with good remission, neuroleptics could be reduced after ECT by over 70%, and over 50% in patients with poor remission. This result confirms corresponding literature data with regard to neuroleptics. The results in this highly selected group also confirm Bleuler's 'one third rule' of remissions, also the fact that global outcome does not correlate with response to neuroleptics, as well as confirming the relevance of the psychopathological state on discharge as an outcome predictor.

Intravenous droperidol decreases nausea and vomiting after alfentanil anesthesia without increasing recovery time

The frequency rate of nausea and vomiting after an alfentanil-based anesthetic is high, with reported frequencies of 38% to 68%. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose and moderate-dose droperidol in decreasing the frequency of postoperative nausea and vomiting and to evaluate whether droperidol has any effect on slowing recovery after a standard alfentanil-based anesthetic. Sixty normal adults who were scheduled to undergo short surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia were assigned randomly in a double-blind manner to one of three groups of 20: (1) control--normal saline; (2) droperidol 10 micrograms/kg; or (3) droperidol 20 micrograms/kg. A standard alfentanil-based anesthetic was used, and the study drug was given immediately after induction of anesthesia. In the post-anesthesia recovery room, all patients were evaluated according to the Aldrete score, noting the time to achieve a score of 10. Presence or absence and severity of nausea and vomiting were noted. To assess psychomotor recovery, a Trieger dot test was performed by every patient preoperatively, at the time of an Aldrete score of 10, and upon discharge from the recovery room. There was no statistical difference between the groups in age, sex, type of procedure, weight, total dose of alfentanil, or duration of anesthetic. The frequency of nausea and vomiting was significantly less (p less than 0.05) for the 20 micrograms/kg group (5%) than for the 10 micrograms/kg group (25%) or the control group (40%). A dose-response relationship was evident for the antiemetic effect of droperidol. An analog scale for severity of nausea and vomiting also demonstrated a dose response effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)