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Barbic D, Andolfatto G, Grunau B, Scheuermeyer FX, Macewan B, Qian H, Wong H, Barbic SP, Honer WG. Rapid Agitation Control With Ketamine in the Emergency Department: A Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial. Ann Emerg Med 2021; 78:788-795. [PMID: 34353650 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that the use of intramuscular ketamine would result in a clinically relevant shorter time to target sedation. METHODS We conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing the rapidity of onset, level of sedation, and adverse effect profile of ketamine compared to a combination of midazolam and haloperidol for behavioral control of emergency department patients with severe psychomotor agitation. We included patients with severe psychomotor agitation measured by a Richmond Agitation Score (RASS) ≥+3. Patients in the ketamine group were treated with a 5 mg/kg intramuscular injection. Patients in the midazolam and haloperidol group were treated with a single intramuscular injection of 5 mg midazolam and 5 mg haloperidol. The primary outcome was the time, in minutes, from study medication administration to adequate sedation, defined as RASS ≤-1. Secondary outcomes included the need for rescue medications and serious adverse events. RESULTS Between June 30, 2018, and March 13, 2020, we screened 308 patients and enrolled 80. The median time to sedation was 14.7 minutes for midazolam and haloperidol versus 5.8 minutes for ketamine (difference 8.8 minutes [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0 to 14.5]). Adjusted Cox proportional model analysis favored the ketamine arm (hazard ratio 2.43, 95% CI 1.43 to 4.12). Five (12.5%) patients in the ketamine arm and 2 (5.0%) patients in the midazolam and haloperidol arm experienced serious adverse events (difference 7.5% [95% CI -4.8% to 19.8%]). CONCLUSION In ED patients with severe agitation, intramuscular ketamine provided significantly shorter time to adequate sedation than a combination of intramuscular midazolam and haloperidol.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Barbic
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Gary Andolfatto
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian Grunau
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Frank X Scheuermeyer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bill Macewan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hong Qian
- Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hubert Wong
- Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Skye P Barbic
- Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcomes Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William G Honer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Kim HK, Leonard JB, Corwell BN, Connors NJ. Safety and efficacy of pharmacologic agents used for rapid tranquilization of emergency department patients with acute agitation or excited delirium. Expert Opin Drug Saf 2021; 20:123-138. [PMID: 33327811 DOI: 10.1080/14740338.2021.1865911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Management of patients with acute agitation or aggressive behavior can pose a significant challenge to health-care providers in emergency departments. Areas covered: This article provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacologic properties, efficacy, and safety profiles of select intramuscular (IM) sedative agents (i.e., antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and ketamine) for rapid tranquilization. Expert opinion: Using antipsychotics and benzodiazepines - whether a single agent or combined - will have similar efficacy in producing sedation. But there are differences in the time to sedation depending on which agent is used. Based upon the available studies, droperidol (5-10 mg IM) and midazolam (5-10 mg IM) have the fastest onset of sedation when either is used as a single agent. When combination therapy is used, using midazolam with an antipsychotic agent, instead of lorazepam, may result in faster sedative effect. QT prolongation and torsades de pointes are uncommon adverse drug effects of antipsychotic administration. Ketamine is often reserved as a second-line agent when antipsychotics and benzodiazepines fail to produce the desired tranquilization. However, ketamine (5 mg/kg IM) is more frequently associated with airway compromise requiring endotracheal intubation. A low-dose of ketamine (2 mg/kg IM) may reduce the risk of airway compromise while providing adequate sedation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong K Kim
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - James B Leonard
- Maryland Poison Center, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian N Corwell
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas J Connors
- Department of Emergency Medicine, HCA Healthcare Trident Medical Center , Charleston, SC, USA
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Muir-Cochrane E, Grimmer K, Gerace A, Bastiampillai T, Oster C. Safety and effectiveness of olanzapine and droperidol for chemical restraint for non-consenting adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Australas Emerg Care 2020; 24:96-111. [PMID: 33046432 DOI: 10.1016/j.auec.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemical restraint (CR) is emergency drug management for acute behavioural disturbances in people with mental illness, provided with the aim of rapid calming and de-escalating potentially dangerous situations. AIMS To describe a systematic review of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) reporting on short-term safety and effectiveness of drugs used for CR, administered to non-consenting adults with mental health conditions, who require emergency management of acute behavioural disturbances. A meta-analysis was conducted of those RCTs with comparable interventions, outcome measures and measurement timeframes. METHOD Academic databases were searched for RCTs published between 1 January 1996 and 20th April 2020. Relevant RCTs were critically appraised using the 13-item JBI checklist. All RCTs were described, and step-wise filters were applied to identify studies suitable for meta-analysis. For these, forest and funnel plots were constructed, and Q and I2 statistics guided interpretation of pooled findings, tested using MedCalc Version 19.1. RESULTS Of 23 relevant RCTs, 18 (78.2% total) had excellent methodological quality scores (at least 90%). Eight RCTs were potentially relevant for meta-analysis (six of excellent quality), reporting 20 drug arms in total. Adverse events for 6-36% patients were reported in all 20 drug arms. Four drug arms from two homogenous studies of N = 697 people were meta-analysed. These RCTs tested two antipsychotic drugs (droperidol, olanzapine) delivered intravenously in either 5 mgs or 10 mg doses, with outcomes of time to calm, percentage calm within five or 10 min, and adverse events. There were no significant differences between drug arms for either measure of calm. However, 5 mg olanzapine incurred significantly lower risk of adverse events than 10 mg olanzapine (OR 0.4 (95%CI 0.2-0.8)), although no dose differences were found for droperidol. CONCLUSION 5 mg intravenous olanzapine is recommended for quick, safe emergency management of people with acute behavioural disturbances associated with mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Muir-Cochrane
- College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
| | - Karen Grimmer
- College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Adam Gerace
- College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Rd, Wayville, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tarun Bastiampillai
- College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Candice Oster
- College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Nambiar D, Pearce JW, Bray J, Stephenson M, Nehme Z, Masters S, Brink D, Smith K, Arendts G, Fatovich D, Bernard S, Haskins B, Grantham H, Cameron P. Variations in the care of agitated patients in Australia and New Zealand ambulance services. Emerg Med Australas 2019; 32:438-445. [PMID: 31840407 DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.13431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study is to examine variations in paramedic care of the agitated patient, including verbal de-escalation, physical restraint and sedation, provided by ambulance services in Australia and New Zealand. METHODS To examine the care of agitated patients, we first identified and reviewed all clinical practice guidelines for the management of agitated patients in Australian and New Zealand ambulance services between September and November 2018. We then conducted a structured questionnaire to obtain further information on the training, assessment and care of agitated patients by the ambulance services. Two authors extracted the data independently, and all interpretations and results were reviewed and confirmed by relevant ambulance services. RESULTS There were 10 independent clinical practice guidelines for the care of agitated patients in the 10 ambulance services. All services reported training in the management of agitated patients, and two services used a validated tool to assess the level of agitation. All services used physical restraint, although six services required police presence to restrain the patient. All ambulance services used some form of sedation, typically divided into the management of mild to moderate, and severe agitation. The most common agent for sedation was midazolam, while ketamine was the most common agent for sedating severely agitated patients. The maximum dose was varied, and contraindications for sedating agents varied between services. CONCLUSIONS There were wide variations across the ambulance services in terms of the assessment of agitation, as well as the use of physical restraint and sedation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhanya Nambiar
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - James W Pearce
- South Australian Ambulance Service, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Janet Bray
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Ziad Nehme
- Ambulance Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stacey Masters
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Deon Brink
- St John Ambulance Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Karen Smith
- Ambulance Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Glenn Arendts
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Daniel Fatovich
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | | | - Hugh Grantham
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Peter Cameron
- Emergency and Trauma Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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