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From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei; and Department of Anesthesiology, Buddhist Tzu-Chi Medical Center, Tzu-Chi University School of Medicine, Hualien, Taiwan.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Jhi-Joung Wang, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan. Address e-mail to 400002{at}mail.chimei.org.tw.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Haloperidol, a major tranquilizer, has been found to have a potent antiemetic effect on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), but the prophylactic effect of haloperidol plus dexamethasone on PONV has not been evaluated. We evaluated the prophylactic effect of haloperidol plus dexamethasone to either given alone, placebo or droperidol on PONV in patients undergoing a laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy.
METHODS: Four hundred adult women (n = 80 in each of five groups) scheduled for a laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo, and positive-control study. Fifteen minutes after the induction of anesthesia, patients received an IV injection of either saline (group S), droperidol 1.25 mg (group D), haloperidol 2 mg (group H), dexamethasone 5 mg (group Dx), or haloperidol 2 mg plus dexamethasone 5 mg (group H + Dx) to prevent PONV. The occurrence of PONV and medication-related side effects were recorded.
RESULTS: The incidences of PONV (0–24 h) in the D (36%), H (37%), Dx (38%), and H + Dx (19%) groups were significantly lower than in the S group (65%; P < 0.05 for each comparison). The H + Dx group had the lowest incidence of PONV (19%; P < 0.05 for each comparison) of the five study groups. No differences were found between the D, H, and Dx groups. Also, no differences were found among the five groups in the side effects of QT prolongation, intensity of postoperative pain, level of sedation, and occurrence of extra-pyramidal symptoms.
CONCLUSION: Prophylactic haloperidol 2 mg plus dexamethasone 5 mg produced a greater reduction in the incidence of PONV than did either drug used alone, placebo or droperidol without increasing perioperative adverse outcomes.
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  A. S. Habib and T. J. Gan Haloperidol for Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: Are We Reinventing the Wheel? Anesth. Analg., May 1, 2008; 106(5): 1343 - 1345. [Full Text] [PDF]
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D. B. Ludwin and S. L. Shafer CON: The Black Box Warning on Droperidol Should Not Be Removed (But Should Be Clarified!) Anesth. Analg., May 1, 2008; 106(5): 1418 - 1420. [Full Text] [PDF]
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