Emergency medical service (EMS) providers often encounter acutely agitated patients
who can pose serious threats to themselves, bystanders, and EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement
personnel [
[1]
]. Severe, acute, undifferentiated agitation can be a symptom of drug ingestion or
underlying medical or psychiatric disorders, and not all agitated patients respond
similarly to chemical sedation [
[2]
]. Conventionally, paramedics treat agitated patients in the prehospital settings
with benzodiazepines to calm the patient sufficiently to complete medical assessment
and care. Adverse effects from benzodiazepines including respiratory depression, hypotension,
and the need for advanced airway management leave agencies seeking alternative solutions
[
[3]
].- Isenberg D.L.
- Jacobs D.
Prehospital agitation and sedation trial (PhAST): a randomized control trial of intramuscular
haloperidol versus intramuscular midazolam for the sedation of the agitated or violent
patient in the prehospital environment.
Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015; 30 (Epub 2015/09/02) ([PubMed PMID: 26323511]): 491-495
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References
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 10, 2020
Accepted:
May 4,
2020
Received in revised form:
April 20,
2020
Received:
January 19,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
