The impact of diphenhydramine and promethazine in patients undergoing advanced upper endoscopic procedures.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP ) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) procedures are more complex and longer duration than standard endoscopy, requiring deeper levels of sedation. While prior studies have compared standard sedation (meperidine and midazolam) to propofol, no randomized, controlled trials have evaluated the use of adjunct sedatives in these procedures.

AIMS: To prospectively compare the use of promethazine and diphenhydramine as adjunct sedatives to standard sedation in patients undergoing advanced endoscopic procedures.

METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study in a single, tertiary-care referral center. Promethazine (P), diphenhydramine (B), or normal saline (NS) were given as adjunct sedatives along with meperidine and midazolam in adult patients undergoing upper EUS and/or ERCP procedures. The main outcome measurement was sedation failure.

RESULTS: 292 patients (P: 97, B: 93, NS: 102) were randomized over 36 months. No significant differences in sedation failures (P: 8, B: 13, NS: 11, p=0.449) or in the times needed to achieve adequate sedation (P: 11.8 minutes, B: 12.9 minutes, NS: 14.0 minutes, p=0.054) were seen between the groups. Sedation using P (43.7 minutes) was associated with a significantly longer recovery time compared to B (28.0 minutes) or NS (24.5 minutes).

CONCLUSIONS: The use of promethazine and diphenhydramine as adjunct sedatives did not improve sedation failure rates or reduce the time needed to achieve sedation in patients undergoing upper EUS or ERCP. Patients with anticipated sedation difficulties should proceed directly to propofol-based sedation.