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Using the "GI cocktail": a descriptive study

K Wrenn1, C M Slovis, J Gongaware

  • 1Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Annals of Emergency Medicine
|December 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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The GI cocktail, a mix of antacid, lidocaine, and anticholinergic, is often used for abdominal and chest pain in the emergency department. Its effectiveness is hard to determine due to other medications given concurrently.

Area of Science:

  • Emergency Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The "GI cocktail" is a common emergency department (ED) intervention for upper gastrointestinal symptoms.
  • Its precise efficacy is often debated due to concurrent medication administration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate practice patterns of GI cocktail administration in an urban university hospital ED.
  • To assess patient responses and final dispositions following GI cocktail use.
  • To analyze the impact of coadministered medications on perceived relief.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 97 patient charts in an urban university hospital ED.
  • Analysis of patient chief complaints, documented reasons for GI cocktail use, and coadministered medications.
  • Assessment of symptomatic relief documented in patient records.

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Main Results:

  • GI cocktails were administered for abdominal pain (50%) and chest pain (41%).
  • Documentation of the reason for administration was infrequent (1 chart).
  • 68% of patients received other medications, most commonly narcotics, prior to the GI cocktail.
  • Symptomatic relief was observed in 34% with the cocktail alone and 36% with the cocktail plus other drugs.
  • Response rates were similar for chest and abdominal pain patients, and for admitted versus discharged patients.

Conclusions:

  • Symptomatic relief is frequently noted after GI cocktail administration.
  • Differentiating the cocktail's effect from concurrent medications like morphine or nitroglycerin is challenging.
  • ED physicians are encouraged to use the GI cocktail judiciously.