Anesth Analg 2004;98:1072-1076
© 2004 International Anesthesia Research Society
doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000105880.59649.5C
PAIN MEDICINE
Single-Dose Haloperidol for the Prophylaxis of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting After Intrathecal Morphine
Joel L. Parlow, MD, MSc, FRCPC,
Ioana Costache, MD, FRCPC,
Nicole Avery, MSc, and
Kim Turner, MD, FRCPC
Department of Anesthesiology, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Joel L. Parlow, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart St., Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2V7. Address e-mail to parlowj{at}post.queensu.ca
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) occurs frequently with the use of intrathecal morphine. We studied the ability of a single, small dose of the inexpensive, long-acting, dopamine receptor-blocking drug, haloperidol, to prevent PONV after spinal anesthesia using local anesthetic with morphine 0.3 mg. One-hundred-eight adult patients undergoing elective lower limb orthopedic or endoscopic urologic procedures under spinal anesthesia were randomized to receive IM haloperidol 1 mg (H1), haloperidol 2 mg (H2), or placebo (P) after an intrathecal injection. Patients were assessed for 24 h after surgery, with treatment failure being defined as nausea >1 on a 10-cm visual analog scale or any vomiting or request for rescue antiemetic. Most treatment failures occurred during the first 12 h (60% overall), and haloperidol led to a dose-dependent decrease in PONV (first 12 h: 76% P, 56% H1, and 50% H2; P = 0.012). A history of PONV was strongly associated with PONV in the current study, regardless of treatment group. There were no dystonic reactions noted to either dose of haloperidol. We conclude that haloperidol reduces the incidence of PONV after intrathecal morphine, although this incidence remains a significant problem even with treatment.
IMPLICATIONS: In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, a single, small IM dose of haloperidol 1 mg or 2 mg reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting after spinal anesthesia with local anesthetic and intrathecal morphine.
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