Evelyne D. Trottier

Clinical outcomes of children treated with intravenous prochlorperazine for migraine in a pediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND Prochlorperazine is the only treatment that has been studied so far in a randomized controlled trial and found to reduce pain at 1 h in children with migraine who presented to an emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the rate of treatment failure associated with prochlorperazine used in children with severe migraine in a pediatric ED. METHODS This study was a retrospective chart review of patients < 18 years of age who visited the ED of a tertiary care pediatric hospital between November 2005 and June 2007. All patients diagnosed with migraine by the emergency physicians were included in the study. Charts were evaluated by a data abstractor blinded to the study hypothesis using a standardized datasheet. Inter-rater agreement was measured. Prochlorperazine treatment failure was defined as either administration of further rescue therapy, a hospitalization, or a return visit to the ED within 48 h for symptom recurrence or side effects from the medication. RESULTS Prochlorperazine was administered in 92 episodes of migraine, including 43 confirmed by a pediatric neurologist; all received diphenhydramine to prevent akathisia. A total of 13 (14%) of these patients had a treatment failure: 8 patients received one or more further rescue therapies after the administration of prochlorperazine; 5 patients were hospitalized, including 3 who had received further rescue therapy; and 3 patients returned to the ED within 48 h due to symptom recurrence. CONCLUSION There was a treatment failure rate of 14% with the use of prochlorperazine in association with diphenhydramine for severe migraine in children seen in a pediatric ED.

Prochlorperazine in children with migraine: a look at its effectiveness and rate of akathisia

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of prochlorperazine and the rate of akathisia in children with severe migraine. METHODS The study is a prospective cohort of a convenient sample of patients younger than 18 years old diagnosed with migraine and treated with intravenous prochlorperazine in adjunction with diphenhydramine in the emergency department. The evaluation of pain and akathisia was performed before the treatment and was repeated 60 minutes later and before discharge. A telephone follow-up was completed to assess relapse in pain and presence of akathisia. The effectiveness of prochlorperazine was determined using different outcomes: 50% reduction of pain, pain-free patients, treatment failure, and relapse of pain. RESULTS Of the 79 patients included in the study for 25 months, 64 (81%) either met the International Headache Society criteria or had a diagnosis of migraine confirmed by a neurologist at follow-up. Among these patients, 47 (100%) of 47 had a 50% reduction of pain, and 24 (50%) of 48 were pain free at discharge. Only 14 (22%) of 64 patients had a treatment failure. However, 43 (68%) of 63 patients had a relapse of their headache within the first week after discharge. Overall, among the 79 patients, 4 (5%) had a definitive diagnosis of akathisia, but 27 (34%) other patients presented symptoms suggesting a possible diagnosis of akathisia. CONCLUSION Prochlorperazine seems very effective to decrease pain on a short-term basis in children. However, more than two thirds of the patients, overall, had a relapse of their migraine at home in the first week. Despite the use of diphenhydramine, akathisia remains a concern.

Pain Management of Pediatric Musculoskeletal Injury in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review.

Background. Pain management for children with musculoskeletal injuries is suboptimal and, in the absence of clear evidence-based guidelines, varies significantly. Objective. To systematically review the most effective pain management for children presenting to the emergency department with musculoskeletal injuries. Methods. Electronic databases were searched systematically for randomized controlled trials of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for children aged 0–18 years, with musculoskeletal injury, in the emergency department. The primary outcome was the risk ratio for successful reduction in pain scores. Results. Of 34 studies reviewed, 8 met inclusion criteria and provided data on 1169 children from 3 to 18 years old. Analgesics used greatly varied, making comparisons difficult. Only two studies compared the same analgesics with similar routes of administration. Two serious adverse events occurred without fatalities. All studies showed similar pain reduction between groups except one study that favoured ibuprofen when compared to acetaminophen. Conclusions. Due to heterogeneity of medications and routes of administration in the articles reviewed, an optimal analgesic cannot be recommended for all pain categories. Larger trials are required for further evaluation of analgesics, especially trials combining a nonopioid with an opioid agent or with a nonpharmacological intervention.

Managing Pediatric Pain in the Emergency Department

Far more attention is now given to pain management in children in the emergency department (ED). When a child arrives, pain must be recognized and evaluated using a pain scale that is appropriate to the child’s development and regularly assessed to determine whether the pain intervention was effective. At triage, both analgesics and non-pharmacological strategies, such as distraction, immobilization, and dressing should be started. For mild pain, oral ibuprofen can be administered if the child has not received it at home, whereas ibuprofen and paracetamol are suitable for moderate pain. For patients who still require pain relief, oral opioids could be considered; however, many EDs have now replaced this with intranasal fentanyl, which allows faster onset of pain relief and can be administered on arrival pending either intravenous access or definitive care. Intravenous opioids are often required for severe pain, and paracetamol or ibuprofen can still be considered for their likely opioid-sparing effects. Specific treatment should be used for patients with migraine. In children requiring intravenous access or venipuncture, non-pharmacological and pharmacological strategies to decrease pain and anxiety associated with needle punctures are mandatory. These strategies can also be used for laceration repairs and other painful procedures. Despite the gaps in knowledge, pain should be treated with the most up-to-date evidence in children seen in EDs.

Practice variation after implementation of a protocol for migraines in children.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes that occurred in the treatment of migraine over a 10-year period in a pediatric emergency department (ED) after the implementation of a protocol. The method employed was a comparative retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with migraine in an ED. The two study periods were 1996–1997, and 2006–2007. A protocol suggesting a specific approach was implemented in the ED in 1999. The primary outcome was the medications used in the ED. There were 182 visits for migraine in 2006–2007 compared with 144 visits in 1996–1997. More patients were treated in the ED in 2006–2007 compared with 1996–1997: 50 versus 30%, a difference of 20% (95% confidence interval: 9, 30). The treatments used were also different. In conclusion, a variation in the treatment of migraine was observed over a 10-year period in a pediatric ED after the implementation of a treatment protocol.

Treating and reducing anxiety and pain in the paediatric emergency department—TIME FOR ACTION—the TRAPPED quality improvement collaborative

Background/Objectives In 2013, the TRAPPED-1 survey reported inconsistent availability of pain and distress management strategies across all 15 Canadian paediatric emergency department (PEDs). The objective of the TRAPPED-2 study was to utilize a procedural pain quality improvement collaborative (QIC) and evaluate the number of newly introduced pain and distress-reducing strategies in Canadian PEDs over a 2-year period. Methods A QIC was created to increase implementation of new strategies, through collaborative information sharing among PEDs. In 2015, 11 of the 15 Canadian PEDs participated in the TRAPPED QIC. At the end of the year, the TRAPPED-2 survey was electronically sent to a representative member at each of the 15 PEDs. The successful introduction of the chosen strategies by the QIC was assessed as well as the addition of new strategies per site. The number of new strategies introduced in the participating and nonparticipating QIC sites were described. Results All 15 PEDs (100%) completed the TRAPPED-2 survey. Overall, 10/11 of QIC-participating sites implemented the strategy they had initially identified. All 15 Canadian PEDs implemented some new strategies during the study period; participants in the QIC reported a mean of 5.2 (1-11) new strategies compared to 2.5 (1-4) in the nonactively participating sites. Conclusion While all PEDs introduced new strategies during the study, QIC-participating sites successfully introduced the majority of their previously identified new strategies in a short time period. Sharing deadlines and information between centres may have contributed to this success.

Oral morphine protocol evaluation for the treatment of vaso-occlusive crisis in paediatric sickle cell patients

Background Vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is one of the most frequent causes of emergency visit and admission in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Objectives This study aimed to evaluate whether the implementation of a protocol promoting the use of oral morphine as a primary intervention has led to improved care of SCD. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with SCD who presented to the emergency department (ED) and hematology outpatient clinic (HOC) with VOC, in the year pre and postimplementation of the protocol. The primary outcome was the hospitalization rate. Results The protocol resulted in a significant 43% reduction of hospitalization rate (95% confidence interval [CI] -53.0, 26.5). Results also showed a 35% increase in the use of oral morphine as first-line opiate treatment (95% CI 17.9, 45.2), a 28% increase in the use of pain scales (95% CI 17.3, 43.2) and a 30% net increase in patients eventually not requiring intravenous (IV) line placement (95% CI 16.0, 39.9). While we did observe an overall decrease in length of stay in ED of -55 min (95% CI -100.6, -12.0), there was a nonsignificant decrease of 7 minutes (95% CI -26, 3) in the opiate administration time. Conclusions This study validates the use of our oral morphine protocol for the treatment of VOC by significantly reducing the admission rate and decreasing the number of IVs.

P097: Evaluation of an oral morphine protocol for treatment of acute pain crisis in sickle cell patients in the outpatient setting

Introduction: Sickle cell vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is one of the most frequent causes of emergency visit and admission in children with this condition. With this study, we aim to evaluate whether the implementation of an oral morphine protocol has led to improved care of sickle cell disease (SCD), translated by a reduced hospitalization rate, an increased oral administration rate and faster opiate administration time, comparing cohorts of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and hematology outpatient clinic (HOC) with VOC pre and post implementation. Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with SCD followed at CHU Ste-Justine, who presented to the ED and HOC with VOC, in the year pre and post implementation of the protocol. Patients with a VOC diagnosis during the study periods were selected in each department’s database. The primary outcome was to evaluate the hospitalization rate. The rate of oral administration, as well as the opiate administration time from inscription in the ED or arrival in the HOC were also calculated. We estimated that 35 patients per arm would be sufficiently powered to detect at least a 30% rate reduction of admissions, with a power of 80% and a significance of 0.05. Results: Over the two periods, a total of 105 patients (49 pre and 56 post) were included from the ED and 62 patients (36 pre and 26 post) from the HOC. Both departments showed a reduction in hospitalization rate: a difference of 48% (95% CI 32, 61) in ED and 38% (95% CI 13, 57) in HOC. Both showed an increase in the rate of oral administration: a difference of 36% (95% CI 19, 50) in ED and 33% (95% CI 8, 53) in HOC. There was a non-significant difference of 10 min (95% CI -10, 25) in the opiate administration time in ED, as opposed to HOC where a significant difference of -45 min (95% CI -71, -6) was found, with both presenting median times over the recommended 60 minutes post implementation. Both settings showed an increase in the percentage of patients without IVs; a difference of 17% (95% CI 4, 30) in ED and 55% (95% CI 72, 31) in HOC. Conclusion: This study validates the use of our oral morphine protocol for the treatment of VOC, by showing a significant reduction in hospitalization rates. Although delays remain in our opiate administration time, our protocol decreased the number of painful IV procedures.