Search

Byline: James F Palombaro, Carl E Klingelberger Abstract: Angioedema, also known as angioneurotic edema or Quincke's disease, is a well- demarcated, localized edema involving the subcutaneous tissues that may cause upper-airway obstruction. We report the case of a previously healthy 19-year-old man with no known drug allergies in whom angioedema with significant tongue swelling and protrusion developed within 10 minutes of the administration of a single IV dose of droperidol. [Palombaro JF, Klingelberger CE: Angioedema associated with droperidol administration. Ann Emerg Med March 1996;27:379-381.] Article History: Received 16 January 1995; Revised 26 May 1995; Accepted 31 August 1995 Article Note: (footnote) [star] From the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Investigation, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California., [star][star] The chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department, Washington DC, Clinical Investigation Program, sponsored this report, 84-16-1968-505, as required by Health Science Education and Training Command Instruction 6000.41A. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the US government., a Address for reprints: LCDR James F Palombaro, MC, USNR, c/o Clinical Investigation Department, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California 92134-5000, 619-532-8134/8140, Fax 619-532-8137, aa Reprint no. 47/1/70880

We prospectively studied the efficacy and safety of self-administered nitrous oxide analgesia for 54 children undergoing closed reductions of fractures in the emergency department. No child was excluded from entry into the study because of fracture type. Nitrous oxide was the sole source of analgesia. The average Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario pain score (CHEOPS) rated by the emergency medicine physician observing the reduction was 9.1 (range 6-13). Ninety-one percent of children obtained an analgesic effect; however, 46 of children had a CHEOPS score of ≥10, indicating significant pain. A statistically significantly higher proportion of failures using nitrous-oxide analgesia occurred in patients with completely displaced radius/ulna fractures (p0.027). No complications such as vomiting, respiratory depression, or a change in oxygen saturation resulted from the use of nitrous oxide.