Methohexital for orthopaedic procedures in the emergency department

The past two decades have seen more and more orthopaedic procedures performed in the emergency department. Methohexital would seem to be a useful adjunct drug for the performance of these procedures because of its well-known attributes (eg, rapid induction and recovery, brief duration, and minimal hemodynamic changes). A search of the literature revealed no previous studies on the use of methohexital in the emergency department. Therefore, the authors undertook a 1-year prospective study of all patients in their emergency department who received methohexital for orthopaedic procedures. The study's hypothesis was that methohexital is a safe drug for use in orthopaedic procedures in the emergency department. Additionally, the authors sought to determine the drug's indications for use, patterns of usage, and effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The data presented here are a subset of data previously presented and published.