Propofol and Etomidate are Safe for Deep Sedation in the Emergency Department

Pain Management for Orthopedic Injuries

Pain management in acute orthopedic injury needs to be tailored to the presentation and patient. Subjective and objective assessment, in conjunction with pathophysiology, should be used to provide symptom control. Ideally, treatment should be administered in an escalating fashion, attempting to manage pain with the lowest dose of the safest medication available. There are also adjunctive therapies, including those that are nonpharmacologic, that can provide additional relief.

Anterior Shoulder Dislocation Reduction Managed Either with Midazolam or Propofol in Combination with Fentanyl

Objective

Procedural Sedation and Analgesia is used in managing emergency painful procedures. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of propofol and midazolam on haemodynamic parameters when used in combination with fentanyl in isolated anterior shoulder dislocations and to measure the patient and physician satisfactions.

Methods

The study is a randomised single blind prospective trial. All procedural sedations were performed by emergency medicine specialists and the shoulder reductions were performed by orthopaedic surgeons. Two groups were defined. Group A received intravenous fentanyl and midazolam and Group B received intravenous fentanyl and propofol. The orthopaedic surgeons were not informed about the drugs. The emergency medicine specialist observed the patients. The patients and the orthopaedic surgeons were asked for a satisfaction scoring.

Results

Midazolam group consisted of 37 patients and propofol group consisted of 38 patients. Both groups were similar in demographic characteristics and pre-procedural vital signs. There was only one statistically significant difference at one time and it was the 5th minutes SpO2 levels between groups. There were statistically significant changes in the measurements of vital parameters in both groups when compared with the baseline levels. However none of them was clinically important. In midazolam and propofol group, 10.8% and 10.5% respectively had respiratory compromise. Patient and physician satisfactions were similar in both groups.

Conclusions

Midazolam and propofol are both relatively safe drugs using in combination with fentanyl in anterior shoulder dislocations. Patients and physicians can be highly satisfied with the two groups of drugs. (Hong Kong j.emerg.med. 2014;21:346-353)

Procedural sedation and analgesia in pediatric patients

A spectrum of conditions requires sedation and analgesia in pediatric population. Ineffective treatment of pain may result in physiological and behavioral responses that can adversely affect the developing nociceptive system. The recognition of pain in children can be facilitated by different pain scales. This article reviews the procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) practices in children along with pharmacology of the drugs used for this purpose.

Regional anesthesia for trauma outside the operating theatre

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pain management in the trauma patient can be challenging, especially outside the operating room setting. Traditional analgesics such as opioids and NSAIDs are also problematic in trauma care. In this review, the use of regional anesthetic techniques outside the operating theatre is discussed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Regional anesthesia is an increasing but still underutilized clinical tool for the trauma patient outside the operating room. Regional anesthesia provides well tolerated and effective analgesia and anesthesia for many indications in the trauma setting including hip fracture, reduction of joint dislocation, wound debridement, laceration repair, and multiple rib fractures. Its use can increase safety and resource allocation in emergency departments. Performance of peripheral nerve blocks, especially with ultrasound, is amenable in various medical environments with minimal training.

SUMMARY

Pain is often poorly managed in the trauma patient. In addition to quality analgesia, regional anesthesia provides a variety of benefits in the trauma setting outside the traditional operating room setting. While further utilization requires increased training and structural changes, existing tools such as ultrasound are removing barriers to the widespread use of peripheral nerve block techniques across multiple disciplines.

Impact of the United States propofol ban on emergency providers' procedural sedation agent choice and patient length of stay

BACKGROUND

In the recent past, propofol was temporarily removed from the emergency department (ED) for use in procedural sedation. We sought to determine which agents replaced it in clinical practice and the impact this change had on turnaround times (TAT) for sedated patients.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective chart review at a level one trauma center. Patients receiving sedative agents (propofol, ketamine, midazolam, and etomidate) were identified by pharmacy codes, and their charts were then reviewed for demographics and TAT. Propofol was unavailable in the emergency department (ED) between May 2010 and February 2011. The study period extended from May 2009 until May 2011. Patients receiving sedation by non-emergency medicine physicians and those receiving sedation related to intubation were excluded.

RESULTS

In total 2466 charts were reviewed and 209 met inclusion criteria. When propofol was available, the most commonly used sedative agent was etomidate (40%), followed by propofol (28%), ketamine (20%), and midazolam (6%). When propofol was unavailable, etomidate remained the most commonly used agent (43%), followed by ketamine (41%), and midazolam (11%). When propofol was available, the median TAT for sedated patients was 163 minutes compared to 178 minutes when propofol was unavailable (P=0.83). When propofol was the primary sedative agent used, the median TAT was 166 minutes as compared with a median TAT of 172 minutes for all other sedative agents combined (P=0.87).

CONCLUSION

When propofol was unavailable, ketamine became a preferred ED sedation agent. Removal of propofol from the sedation armamentarium did not affect ED TAT.