Alcohol Pad = Aromatherapy = Nausea Relief?

by Bob Arnold (@rabob)In general, I am a cynic and a nihilist. That means when reviewing the literature, I find most glasses half empty rather than half full (OK, probably this is true in life, but that is TMI). I am very unlikely to try a new treatment based on one study.For every rule, however, there is an exception. I am completely enthralled with aromatherapy and thus found anarticle in the Annals of Emergency Medicine by Beadle on isopropyl alcohol nasal inhalation for nausea in the emergency department. It was a randomized controlled trial which made it swoon-worthy. The only problem was it was a placebo trial and so my friend(s) pooh-poohed the article. I was thrilled to see the follow-up, double-blind RTC article by April: “Aromatherapy Versus Oral Ondansetron for Antiemetic Therapy Among Adult Emergency Department Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” in February 2018, again in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The fact that it was positive means that anyone who I talk to has to hear about it (as well as how they must watch Nanette and how excited I am about the new season of The Good Place).The aim of the 2018 study was to compare nasally inhaled isopropyl alcohol versus oral ondansetron (aka Zofran) for the treatment of nausea among emergency medicine patients. They looked at 120 adult patients with nausea or vomiting who did not require an IV. The patients who were randomized into the three groups: (1) isopropyl alcohol plus 4 mg of oral ondansetron; (2) i...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: arnold emergency department journal article nausea ondansetron pallimed writing group research vomiting Source Type: blogs