[Effects and side effects of transdermal scopolamine for premedication in general anesthesia in elderly patients]

Transdermal scopolamine has already proved an effective premedication to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting. In a double-blind study, the effects and above all the side effects of TTS-scopolamine (TTS-s) and TTS-placebo (TTS-p) were investigated in elderly patients (greater than 50 years), who are particularly susceptible to adverse drug reactions. The 59 (out of 61) male and female patients who could finally be evaluated had to undergo long (1-6.3 hrs.) surgical or gynaecological interventions in general anaesthesia after premedication with benzodiazepines in the evening and in the morning. The operations were performed under intubation anaesthesia induced by barbiturate (3-5 mg/kg bw) or etomidate (0.2-0.3 mg/kg bw), together with enflurane (0.5-2.5 vol.%) or isoflurane (0.5-1.5 vol.%), N2O/O2 (2:1) and fentanyl (0.05-0.45 mg). Alcuronium or vecuronium were given for relaxation, pyridostigmine/atropine was administered for antagonisation. The patient groups did not differ significantly with regard to age (mean = 65 years vs. 63 years), sex, height, weight, concomitant diseases, method and duration of operation, method and duration of anaesthesia, postoperative antagonisation and analgesia. In patients under TTS-s postoperative nausea was less intensive and of shorter duration. In contrast to 7 patients of the placebo group (p less than 0.05), no case of vomiting could be observed in the TTS-s group. The efficacy of TTS-s was significantly better than that of TTS-p. TTS-s and TTS-p were both tolerated equally well. In both groups, the most frequent side effect was dryness of the mouth, but without any significant differences between the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)