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Etomidate has become one of the agents of choice for emergency endotracheal intubation in the emergency department. These investigators retrospectively studied the effectiveness and safety of etomidate for procedural sedation in the ED.
A review of ED charts of 134 patients showed that indications for etomidate use included electrical cardioversion, joint reduction, and wound treatment. Patients ranged in age from 6 to 93 years. The mean dose of etomidate was 0.20 mg/kg; 23% of patients also received another sedative or analgesic agent. Moderate sedation was achieved in 32% of patients, and deep sedation was reached in 68%. No significant hemodynamic compromise was recorded. Full recovery within 30 minutes was documented in 94% of patients. …