Epidural Droperidol Reduces the Side Effects and Duration of Analgesia of Epidural Sufentanil

Abstract

The postoperative combination of epidural sufentanil and epidural droperidol was assessed in 40 patients with hip or knee arthroplasties. Patients were given a single intravenous (IV) bolus of sufentanil 50 μg with either droperidol 2.5 mg or placebo (0.9% NaCl) epidurally in a double-blind, randomized design at the first request for postoperative analgesia. Pain scores, side effects, and sufentanil plasma concentrations were regularly assessed for 5 h after injection. Heat pain thresholds were measured pre- and postoperatively. The incidence of nausea, emesis, and pruritus associated with epidural sufentanil was decreased by epidural droperidol (P