The impact of a standardised intramuscular sedation protocol for acute behavioural disturbance in the emergency department

Background: Acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) is an increasing problem in emergency departments. This study aimed to determine the impact of a structured intramuscular (IM) sedation protocol on the duration of ABD in the emergency department. Methods: A historical control study was undertaken comparing 58 patients who required physical restraint and parenteral sedation with the structured IM sedation protocol, to 73 historical controls treated predominantly by intravenous sedation, according to individual clinician preference. The primary outcome was the duration of the ABD defined as the time security staff were required. Secondary outcomes were the requirement for additional sedation, drug related-adverse effects and patient and staff injuries. Results: The median duration of the ABD in patients with the new sedation protocol was 21 minutes (IQR: 15 to 35 minutes; Range: 5 to 78 minutes) compared to a median duration of 30 minutes (IQR: 15 to 50 minutes; Range: 5 to 135 minutes) in the historical controls which was significantly different (p = 0.03). With IM sedation only 27 of 58 patients (47%; 95% CI: 34% to 60%) required further sedation compared to 64 of 73 historical controls (88%; 95%CI: 77% to 94%). There were six (10%) drug-related adverse events with the new IM protocol [oxygen desaturation (5), oxygen desaturation/airway obstruction (1)] compared to 10 (14%) in the historical controls [oxygen desaturation (5), hypoventilation (4) and aspiration (1)]. Injuries to staff occurred with three patients using the new sedation protocol and in seven of the historical controls. Two patients were injured during the new protocol and two of the historical controls. Conclusion: The use of a standardised IM sedation protocol was simple, more effective and as safe for management of ABD compared to predominantly intravenous sedation

Issues facing the future health care workforce: the importance of demand modelling

This article examines issues facing the future health care workforce in Australia in light of factors such as population ageing. It has been argued that population ageing in Australia is affecting the supply of health care professionals as the health workforce ages and at the same time increasing the demand for health care services and the health care workforce

Managing aggressive and violent patients

We have some concerns about the approach to sedation of patients with aggression and violence suggested by Professor Fulde and Associate Professor Preisz. Large numbers of patients require parenteral sedation with physical containment which can be hazardous to staff and requires a standardised approach. Recent research supports the use of different drugs and initial intramuscular sedation for most patients. One study demonstrated that the duration of acute behavioural disturbance was reduced when intramuscular sedation was employed. Intravenous sedation requires sufficient staff to restrain the patient, otherwise it is dangerous with the risk of needle stick or physical injury. However although intramuscular midazolam is used most commonly, recent evidence demonstrates that it is unpredictable due to over or under-sedation

Intralipid therapy does not improve level of consciousness in overdoses with sedating drugs: a case series.

Objective: To assess the effect of intralipid emulsion therapy (ILE) in sedating drugs presenting to an urban emergency department. Methods: Following the introduction of a clinical protocol for the use of ILE a retrospective chart review was undertaken, which describes the use of ILE in treating sedating drug overdose in a facility with a tertiary referral level clinical toxicology unit. Demographic data as well as details of drug ingested, physiological parameters and disposition were extracted from the medical record. Results: Over a 7 month period nine cases were treated with intralipid, of which two were male and the median age was 33 years (17–52 years). Endotracheal intubation was required in seven cases and of the other two, one required a nasopharyngeal airway for several hours while being observed in a critical care area. One patient was managed in the intensive care unit without intubation. The median duration of ventilation in the seven patients was 31 h (22–82 h), and median length of stay for all nine cases was 63 h (24–133 h). Conclusion:This study does not support any clinically significant effect of intralipid in sedating drug overdose

Risperidone overdose causes extrapyramidal effects but not cardiac toxicity

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and electrocardiographic features of risperidone overdose, including the frequency of dystonic reactions. Methods: A consecutive series of admissions for risperidone overdose (>6 mg) were identified from a prospective database of poisoning admissions to a regional toxicology service. Data extracted included patient demographics, details of ingestion, clinical features including neurological findings and evidence of dystonias, electrocardiographic parameters (heart rate [HR], QRS, and QT intervals), complications, and medical outcomes including intensive care unit admission. In addition to descriptive statistics, visual inspection of plots of QT-HR pairs compared with the QT nomogram was performed. Results: There were 107 patients with 157 presentations, including 38 patients with 45 risperidone-alone overdoses. Of the 38 patients who ingested risperidone alone, the median age was 25 years (interquartile range [IQR],16-31 years), and 19 (50%) were female. The median dose ingested was 33 mg (IQR, 15-75 mg; range, 8-248 mg). Median length of stay was 16 hours (IQR, 8-18 hours), and none was ventilated or admitted to the intensive care unit. There were 5 cases (11%) with dystonic reactions, 26 (58%) with tachycardia (HR ≥100 beats/min), and no cases with hypotension (blood pressure <90 mm Hg). Only 1 patient (2%) recorded a decreased Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14, and there were no seizures or deaths. On review of electrocardiograms in 41 of the 45 cases where risperidone was ingested alone, there were no acute dysrhythmias. In 4 electrocardiograms (10%), there was an abnormal QT-HR pair, but all bar one were associated with an HR of greater than 110 beats/min. The median maximum QRS width was 80 milliseconds (IQR, 80-80 milliseconds; range, 40-120 milliseconds). Conclusions: Risperidone taken alone in overdose causes minimal effects. Tachycardia and dystonic reactions were the main features of toxicity. Significant cardiac and other neurological features seem to be uncommon

The dark side of the moon

Objective: The belief that the full moon and disturbed behaviour are closely linked is alive and well, despite studies to the contrary. We investigated the possibility that there is an association between only extreme behavioural disturbance and the full moon. Design, setting and participants: We undertook an observational study of patients with violent and acute behavioural disturbance who presented to the emergency department of Calvary Mater Newcastle and patients with less severe behaviour for whom hospital security calls were made. Main outcome measure: Proportion of patients for whom presentation or security call occurred in each lunar phase, modelled as a Poisson process. Results: Of 91 patients with violent and acute behavioural disturbance, 21 (23%) presented during the full moon - double the number for other lunar phases (P = 0.002). Sixty (66%) had either alcohol intoxication or psychostimulant toxicity, and five attacked staff (biting [2], spitting [1], kicking [1] and scratching [1]). In contrast, 512 hospital security calls for patients with less severe behaviour were evenly distributed throughout the lunar cycle. Conclusion: Violent and acute behavioural disturbance manifested more commonly during the full moon

Randomized controlled trial of intramuscular droperidol versus midazolam for violence and acute behavioral disturbance: the DORM Study

Study objective: We determine whether droperidol, midazolam, or the combination is more effective for intramuscular sedation in violent and acute behavioral disturbance in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We conducted a blinded randomized controlled trial of intramuscular sedation for violent and acute behavioral disturbance, comparing droperidol (10 mg), midazolam (10 mg), and droperidol (5 mg)/midazolam (5 mg). Inclusion criteria were patients requiring physical restraint and parenteral sedation. The primary outcome was the duration of the violent and acute behavioral disturbance, defined as the time security staff were required. Secondary outcomes included time until additional sedation was administered, staff and patient injuries, further episodes of violent and acute behavioral disturbance, and drug-related adverse effects. Results: From 223 ED patients with violent and acute behavioral disturbance, 91 patients were included; 33 received droperidol, 29 received midazolam, and 29 received the combination. There was no difference in the median duration of the violent and acute behavioral disturbance: 20 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 11 to 37 min) for droperidol, 24 minutes (IQR 13 to 35 minutes) for midazolam, and 25 minutes (IQR 15 to 38 minutes) for the combination. Additional sedation was required in 11 (33%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 19% to 52%) droperidol patients, 18 (62%; 95% CI 42% to 79%) midazolam patients, and 12 (41%; 95% CI 24% to 61%) in the combination group. The hazard ratio for additional sedation in the midazolam versus droperidol group was 2.31 (95% credible interval 1.01 to 4.71); for the combination versus droperidol, 1.18 (95% credible interval 0.46 to 2.50). Patient and staff injuries and number of further episodes of violent and acute behavioral disturbance did not differ between groups. There were two adverse effects for droperidol (6%; 95% CI 1% to 22%), 8 for midazolam (28%; 95% CI 13% to 47%), and 2 for the combination (7%; 95% CI 1% to 24%). An abnormal QT occurred in 2 of 31 (6%; 95% CI 1% to 23%) droperidol patients, which was not different from the other groups. Conclusion: Intramuscular droperidol and midazolam resulted in a similar duration of violent and acute behavioral disturbance, but more additional sedation was required with midazolam. Midazolam caused more adverse effects because of oversedation, and there was no evidence of QT prolongation associated with droperidol compared with midazolam