title: Delayed akathisia and suicidal attempts following epidural droperidol infusion--a case report.
abstract: Epidural administration of droperidol has been used to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) caused by opioids, but the adverse reactions were relatively neglected. We present a patient who received patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) with bupivacaine-morphine-droperidol mixture for one and half days following hemorrhoidectomy, developed paroxysmal adverse reactions of akathisia, dysphoria, and suicidal attempts 3 days after the initiation of the treatment. The use of droperidol in PCEA for prevention of nausea and vomiting therefore needs to be re-evaluated according to the serious side effects occurring in our case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Ton Yen General Hospital, Hsin Chu, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D017109:Akathisia, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004329:Droperidol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D004329:Droperidol