Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome With Alpha-2 Agonists and/or Anticonvulsants
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About
Complicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) increases morbidity and mortality of hospitalized, medically ill patients. The Psychosomatic Medicine Service is commonly consulted to assist in the management of these patients when admitted to medical/surgical units. During the last 15 months, the investigators have implemented a benzodiazepine-sparing management approach with very positive clinical outcomes. The BZDP-sparing protocol consists of a combination of alpha-2 agonist and/or anticonvulsant agents; all currently being used for the management of other medical conditions. This project intends to collect and analyze the data of all subjects managed with this approach to better understand its effectiveness and assess for potential adverse effects.
Full description
Complicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome (C-AWS) increases morbidity and mortality of hospitalized, medically ill patients. The Psychosomatic Medicine Service is commonly consulted to assist in the management of these patients when admitted to medical/surgical units. During the last 15 months, the investigators have implemented a benzodiazepine-sparing management approach with very positive clinical outcomes. The BZDP-sparing protocol consists of a combination of alpha-2 agonist (e.g., clonidine, guanfacine, dexmedetomidine) and/or anticonvulsant agents (e.g., gabapentin, valproic acid, carbamazepine); all currently being used for the management of other medical conditions. The proposed study consists of an exhaustive chart review of these records to better understand the safety and effectiveness of alpha-2 agonists and anticonvulsants in the prophylaxis and treatment of AWS. Specifically the investigators want to understand the time to resolution of AWS symptoms, whether there are any limiting side effects to this regimen, and the need of for rescue with benzodiazepine agents. The information obtained from this study will be very helpful in assisting in the design of safer and more effective treatment of AWS.
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Inclusion criteria
- All the cases referred to the Psychosomatic Medicine Service for assistance with prophylactic or symptomatic management of AWS starting 8/1/2011 until 8/31/2014.
Exclusion criteria
- Patients who through chart review were found to have been primarily suffering from delirium from causes other than AWS.
Trial design
30 participants in 2 patient groups
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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
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