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Review
. 2018 Jan-Mar;30(1):1-4.
doi: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_195_17.

Evidence-based review and appraisal of the use of droperidol in the emergency department

Pei-Chun Lai  1   2 , Yen-Ta Huang  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Evidence-based review and appraisal of the use of droperidol in the emergency department

Pei-Chun Lai et al. Tzu Chi Med J. 2018 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Droperidol is a short-acting, potent dopamine D2 antagonist that can pass through the blood-brain barrier. A black box warning was issued for droperidol by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2001 because of a risk of development of torsades de pointes induced by QT prolongation. Many experts feel that the incidence of arrhythmia is overestimated, and low-dose droperidol is almost always used by anesthesiologists for postoperative nausea and vomiting. In this review, we used evidence-based analysis to appraise high-quality studies with a low risk of bias published after 2001 on the use of droperidol in the emergency department (ED). Droperidol appears not only efficacious but also safe to treat patients with nausea/vomiting, acute psychosis, and migraine in the ED. For these conditions, droperidol may be an option for shared decision-making.

Keywords: Acute psychosis; Droperidol; Migraine; Nausea/Vomiting; QT prolongation.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

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