Droperidol/Fentanyl Citrate

Patients with intractable vertigo due to clinical Meniere's disease were offered treatment with Innovar, a neurolept analgesic. The patients were from a single clinical practice, had failed conventional dietary and medical treatment and were eligible on clinical grounds for endolymphatic sac surgery. After a follow-up of 2-8 years, 58% of patients had long-lasting relief of vertigo. Hearing was not affected. Risk factors for a favorable response were male gender, fluctuating hearing, and early stage of the disorder. Innovar is a safe, cost-effective second-line therapy for patients with Meniere's disease who have failed conventional first-line medical therapy.

Droperidol (0.03 mg X kg‐1 to 0.25 mg X kg‐1) with fentanyl has been reported to be less efficient than volatile agents in the prevention of haemodynamic responses to surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of high‐dose droperidol in complement to fentanyl in comparison with isoflurane and fentanyl anaesthesia. Thirty patients undergoing laryngectomy were studied. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR) and plasma catecholamines were analysed both during anaesthesia and during recovery. During surgery, SBP epinephrine (E) levels did not change in either group. HR was slightly lower during droperidol fentanyl anaesthesia. Norepinephrine (NE) levels were significantly higher in the droperidol group than in the isoflurane group (P <0.05). During recovery, in both groups, SBP increased by 20% whereas E levels increased by 65%. NE levels increased post‐operatively in both groups, but this rise was significantly higher in the droperidol group (P <0.01). It is concluded that the two techniques contribute to the haemodynamic stability during surgery, but do not prevent haemodynamic instability during recovery.