Efficacy of topical capsaicin for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in a pediatric and adult emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a clinical diagnosis characterized by symptoms of recurrent nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain in the setting of chronic cannabis use. Symptoms of CHS are frequently unresponsive to standard antiemetic therapy. Topical capsaicin applied to the abdomen has been cited as a potential effective agent for CHS however robust evidence is lacking. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study to evaluate the efficacy of topical capsaicin in pediatric and adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected or confirmed CHS. The primary outcome assessed was if utilization of capsaicin for CHS resulted in more patients achieving an "efficacious" result, defined as only requiring ≤1 rescue medication for symptom relief after receiving capsaicin or after administration of the first agent in patients who did not receive capsaicin during their ED course. Secondary outcomes included total ED length of stay, time to discharge after administration of the reference agent (RA), proportion of patients requiring admission, total number of medication doses given for symptom relief, change in pain score and episodes of emesis, and proportion of patients returning to the ED within 24 h for the same complaint. Additional analyses were also performed to explore patient characteristics that may be predictive of capsaicin efficacy. RESULTS: 201 patients were included in the final analysis of which 25 were <21 years old and seen in the pediatric ED. A greater proportion of patients in the capsaicin group achieved the primary outcome of efficacy as compared to patients who did not receive capsaicin (55% vs 21%, p < 0.001, unadjusted OR 1.44 [95% CI 0.586-0.820]). There were no differences in secondary outcomes except for time to discharge after administration of the RA which was shorter in the capsaicin group (3.72 vs 6.11 h, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Significantly more patients in the capsaicin group experienced efficacy compared to patients who did not. Time to discharge after administration of the reference agent was shorter for those who received capsaicin compared to patients who did not. Administration of capsaicin did not influence patients' total number of medications received or total ED length of stay. Future research is needed to determine capsaicin's efficacy when utilized earlier in therapy, ideally upon initial diagnosis of CHS, and before additional adjunct medications are administered.

Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Versus High-Dose Parenteral Ketorolac for Acute Pain Relief in Patients 65 Years and Older in the Emergency Department.

Background There is limited data surrounding acute pain management in elderly ED patients. Ketorolac is a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with dose/duration-dependent side effects. There is evidence that an analgesic ceiling effect exists for parenteral ketorolac doses greater than 10 milligrams (mg); however, this has not been studied in patients 65 years and older. Methods This was a retrospective chart review of ED patients 65 years and older who received at least one dose of parenteral ketorolac. Patients were separated into two cohorts based on the ketorolac dose received: 15 mg IV or 30 mg intramuscular (IM) and 30 mg IV or 60 mg IM. The primary objective was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of parenteral ketorolac doses measured as needing rescue analgesia from 30 minutes to 2 hours after ketorolac administration. Secondary objectives included changes in pain scores and the occurrence of adverse drug events commonly associated with ketorolac. Results Two-hundred and sixty patients received ketorolac doses of 15 mg IV or 30 mg IM, and 52 received 30 mg IV or 60 mg IM. The primary outcome occurred in seven of 52 patients who received ketorolac 30 mg IV or 60 mg IM and 17 of 260 patients who received ketorolac 15 mg IV or 30 mg IM (13.5% vs. 6.5%, p=0094; OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 0.87-5.67). The average change in pain scores were 2.9 (±3.1) and 2.8 (±2.9) for patients who received doses 30 mg IV or 60 mg IM compared to doses 15 mg IV or 30 mg IM, respectively (p=0.154). The occurrence of adverse events was low in both groups. Conclusion Parenteral ketorolac doses of 15 mg IV or 30 mg IM did not demonstrate a greater need for rescue analgesia compared to doses of 30 mg IV or 60 mg IM.