A RCT of Ondansetron and Promethazine in the Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the Emergency Department

January 31, 2007 updated by: University of New Mexico

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Ondansetron and Promethazine in the Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the Emergency Department

This was a trial comparing two commonly used medications for nausea and vomiting, ondansetron and promethazine, in the Emergency Department.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Nausea and vomiting are common complaints in the emergency department (ED). There are many pharmacologic agents used for the treatment of these complaints. None are new nor experimental. Very little research has been done in the ED setting to determine which of these agents is most effective with the least adverse effects. Our own previous research found that droperidol but not prochlorperazine and metoclopramide is more effective than placebo. Because of the recent FDA black box warning added to droperidol, the use of this agent has suddenly ceased in many EDs. Promethazine remains a very commonly used antiemetic in many EDs but one recent study found it less effective than prochlorperazine which was in turn found no more effective than placebo in our own study. As a result many physicians have turned to ondansetron, a newer and more expensive agent. Experience among anesthesiologists and oncologists has shown ondansetron to be highly effective with a minimum of adverse effects. These patient populations, however, are very different from those found in the ED. It is our hypothesis that promethazine and ondansetron are equally effective for the ED treatment of unselected patients with nausea and vomiting with similar rates of adverse effects.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

120

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Mexico
      • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131
        • University of New Mexico Hospital Emergency Department

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 or older
  • Chief complaint of nausea or vomiting

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age less than 18
  • unable to provide informed consent
  • rate nausea at < 40 mm on 100 mm VAS
  • received antiemetic within 24 hours
  • pregnant or possibly pregnant
  • reported allergy to either study medication
  • received more than 1 liter of intravenous fluids
  • their primary ED physician declined to have patient participate

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Reduction in nausea on a VAS.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Change in sedation on a VAS
Change in anxiety on a VAS
Need for rescue medication at 30 minutes
Patient satisfaction at follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of New Mexico

Collaborators

GlaxoSmithKline

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Darren A Braude, MD, MPH, University of New Mexico

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2003

Study Completion

November 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 31, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 31, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

February 1, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 1, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 31, 2007

Last Verified

January 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 03-006 (Other Identifier: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe