Etomidate-facilitated hip reduction in the emergency department.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The authors report what they believe is the first reported use of etomidate to assist in the reduction of a major joint in an outpatient setting. METHODS: The authors review the case of an elderly woman with a total hip arthroplasty who experienced four spontaneous posterior hip dislocations in a 5-month period. Etomidate was successfully used in two dislocations where previous methods had failed. RESULTS: A 68-year-old woman, who 13 months earlier had an uncomplicated total left hip replacement, was transported to the same ED on four separate occasions for a spontaneous left hip dislocation. Radiographs in each instance were significant only for a posterior dislocation of the implant articulation. The first reduction in the ED was unsuccessful and required a closed reduction in the operating theater. Seventy-two hours later the second dislocation and subsequent reduction occurred in the ED using etomidate to facilitate muscle relaxation. The patient was subsequently discharged home. Similar scenarios were replayed in the next few months. CONCLUSIONS: Muscle relaxation is the key characteristic for the reduction of dislocated major joints. The risks of respiratory depression and hemodynamic alterations with sedation are not insignificant, especially at the extremes of age. In the present case, intravenous narcotics and sedative-amnestic agents did not result in sufficient muscle relaxation. Larger or repeated doses may have resulted in undesirable or dangerous side effects. Etomidate is a useful adjunct when cardiopulmonary disease is present. The rapid onset and recovery from etomidate make it an excellent choice for facilitating the reduction of hip dislocations in elderly patients with prior total hip replacements.