The Incidence of Dysesthesia When Droperidol is Used for Prophylaxis of Post Operative Nausea and Vomiting

Abstract

Background: Multiple therapeutic regimens are used in an effort to attenuate the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Some drugs (e.g. dexamethasone, droperidol and scopolamine) are given preoperatively for prophylaxis in patients who are at increased risk of developing PONV. The use of droperidol has been associated with a relatively high incidence of dysesthesias (30% to 70%) in the outpatient setting, but we have not observed dysesthesias in most patients who receive it perioperatively. HYPOTHESIS: The incidence of dysesthesias in the perioperative period is less than that reported in the outpatient environment. Purpose: The primary goal was to determine the incidence of dysesthesia in patients treated with droperidol perioperatively for PONV. Secondary goals were to determine efficacy of droperidol for preventing PONV and the effect of droperidol on anxiety Methods: 30 patients who were at moderate to severe risk of developing PONV and met no exclusion criteria were asked to participate in the study. The consented patients completed a survey just prior to the intravenous administration of 0.625 mg of droperidol. 6 The survey was repeated 1 hour after the patient was admitted to the PACU Results: None of the patients reported dysesthesia (0%, p<.001). Patients also reported an average 2.2 point reduction on their 1-10 anxiety level after surgery and no patients complained of PONV. Conclusion: Dysesthesia from droperidol is much less common in the perioperative setting than has been reported in the outpatient setting. Based on result, low dose droperidol is expected to prove less likely to cause dysesthesias when used in the intraoperative setting for prophylaxis of PONV than reported in emergency departments and oncology clinics.