Patterns and outcomes of droperidol use in acute care

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The following is a summary of “Administration of Droperidol to Emergency Department Patients With Abdominal Pain, Nausea, and Vomiting,” published in the November 2024 issue Emergency medicine by Ernst et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine droperidol use patterns in individuals with abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting at an urban academic medical center.

They extracted records of droperidol administration from August 2019 to August 2020. People who presented with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or a combination of these symptoms were analyzed.

The results showed that between April 2019 and August 2020, 830 different visits related to droperidol administration were identified, representing 706 people. The average age was 39 years and ranged from 15 to 80 years. 7 people (0.08%) were under 18 years old, while 35 (4%) were over 65 years old, with 565 (68%) being the majority of women. Droperidol doses varied between 0.625 mg and 5 mg intravenously (IV), with a median dose of 0.625 mg (interquartile range 0.625-1.25 mg). A total of 590 people (71%) received a dose of 0.625 mg. Documented adverse events occurred in 19 subjects (2.3%), including 7 cases of akathisia or agitation, 7 cases of anxiety or agitation, 3 cases of dystonia or rigidity, 1 case of fatigue, and 1 case of dizziness. No cardiac arrhythmias, syncope, seizures, serious adverse events, or deaths were reported.

The researchers concluded that when used at lower doses for abdominal pain, nausea and/or vomiting, droperidol was well tolerated and did not cause significant side effects.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675724003814