Vol. 1 No. 1 (2021)
Health Technology Reviews

Droperidol for Agitation in Acute Care

Published January 29, 2021

Key Messages

  • Comparative evidence supports that droperidol is as effective as haloperidol and olanzapine for the sedation of adult patients with uncontrolled aggression, anxiety, or violent behaviour in acute care settings, and a limited quantity of evidence supports the superiority of droperidol over ziprasidone and lorazepam monotherapies.
  • There are no statistically significant differences in adverse event frequency or severity in adult patients treated with droperidol compared with haloperidol or olanzapine.
  • Guidelines published in 2015 support the safety and efficacy of droperidol treatment for agitation based on high-quality relevant evidence.
  • These guidelines found insufficient evidence to support electrocardiogram or telemetry monitoring of patients who were administered less than 2.5 mg of droperidol.