The effect of haloperidol and intravenous acetaminophen in the treatment of primary headache in emergency

Abstract

Headache is one of the most common complaints in adults, accounting for between 1% and 3% of emergency department (ED) admissions. The aim of this study is to compare the treatment of primary headache in the emergency room with haloperidol compared to intravenous acetaminophen, which has an effect on the amount of headache reduction, length of stay in the emergency room, and its treatment complications.

Method: All patients who referred to Imam Reza Tabriz emergency room during the first 6 months of 1401 with a history of headache (initial headache) were included in the study as a whole number (census). Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups of intravenous haloperidol and acetaminophen. For simulation, both haloperidol and acetaminophen were poured into 100 cc of normal saline and infused within 10 minutes. First, the patient was asked about the severity of the headache using the VAS method, then the treatment with one of the drugs was started, the patient and the nurse injecting the drug were unaware of the content of the drug, then the time from the injection to the time of discharge from the emergency room was recorded, after 10 minutes, 30 minutes. The pain intensity asked from the injection was recorded. If the patient does not respond to the mentioned drug, he was excluded from the study and the pain was controlled with intravenous Ketorolac.

Results: In the present study, 315 patients were included in the study, and the patients were randomly divided into two groups. 161 people were in the Apotel group and 154 people were in the haloperidol group. In the results of this study, the rate of response to the treatment in 10 minutes after the treatment, despite the fact that clinically, the amount of pain reduction was higher in the haloperidol group, but it did not show a statistically significant difference, but after 30 minutes from the time of injection, in The haloperidol group showed a significant difference in pain reduction and had a significant reduction both clinically and statistically. In examining the length of stay from the time of drug injection to the discharge of the patient from the emergency room, the patients who received haloperidol had a shorter stay in the emergency room. In examining the incidence of drug complications, patients who received haloperidol showed more complications than the group that received Apotel.