The following is a summary of “Droperidol undermining gastroparesis symptoms (DRUGS) in the emergency department,” published in the January 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Stirrup, et al.

Gastroparesis, characterized by delayed gastric emptying without obstruction, often leads to frequent Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospital admissions due to its chronic and challenging nature. For a study, researchers sought to assess the impact of droperidol administration on opioid therapy, symptom relief, co-administration of antiemetic and prokinetic medications, disposition, cost, and length of stay (LOS) in ED patients presenting with gastroparesis.

Among 431 identified patients, 233 met the inclusion criteria. Droperidol administration significantly reduced the need for opioid therapy (108/233 [46%] vs 139/233 [60%], P = 0.0040), lowered patient-reported pain scales by 4 points, and decreased the requirement for antiemetic therapy (140/233 [60%] vs 169/233 [73%], P = 0.0045). However, no significant differences were observed in ED LOS (Median 6 h [IQR 4–8] vs 5 h [IQR 4–9], P = 0.3638), hospital LOS (Median 6 h [IQR 4–30] vs 7 h [IQR 4–40], P = 0.8888), hospital admission rates (67/233 [29%] vs 71/233 [31%], P = 0.6101), ED cost to the facility (Median $1462 [IQR $1114 – $1986] vs $1481 [IQR $1034 – $2235], P = 0.0943), or hospital cost (Median $4412 [IQR $2359 – $9826] vs $4672 [IQR $2075 – $9911], P = 0.3136).

In ED patients presenting with gastroparesis, droperidol administration effectively reduced opioid use, improved pain control, and decreased antiemetic use without impacting metrics such as opioid dosage, length of stay, hospital admission rate, or cost.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675723005703