Safety and efficacy of intravenous combination sedatives in the ED

• Published in: The American journal of emergency medicine Vol. 31; no. 9; pp. 1402 - 1404
• Main Authors: Li, Siu Fai, Kumar, Amy, Thomas, Susan, Sorokina, Yelena, Calderon, Vanessa, Dubey, Elizabeth, Lee, Lani, Gustave, Ludmilla
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2013; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Airway management; Alcoholic Intoxication - drug therapy; Anesthesia; Confidence intervals; Drug dosages; Drug therapy; Drug Therapy, Combination; Dystonia - chemically induced; Emergency; Emergency medical care; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives - administration & dosage; Hypnotics and Sedatives - adverse effects; Hypnotics and Sedatives - therapeutic use; Hypoxia; Injections, Intravenous; Male; Patient Safety; Patients; Psychomotor Agitation - drug therapy; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0735-6757; 1532-8171; 1532-8171
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.06.017

The objective of the study is to determine the safety of intravenously administered combination sedatives in the emergency department (ED). This was a retrospective study of alcohol-intoxicated patients in the ED. We examined the incidence of adverse events in agitated patients who received combination sedatives intravenously and compared the efficacy of combination sedatives and single-agent sedatives. Of 1300 patient visits, there was a single adverse event, a dystonic reaction, in the combination sedative group, for an adverse event rate of less than 1%. Patients who received combination sedatives were less likely to require a second dose of sedative medication than patients who received a single-agent sedative (21% vs 44%). Combination sedatives appear to be safe when administered intravenously in the ED. Combination sedatives may be more effective than single-agent sedatives in agitated alcohol-intoxicated patients.