scholarly journals Symptom Triggered Therapy versus Fixed-Dosed Scheduling for Alcohol Withdrawal: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Saucedo

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a significant health problem that is seen widely inall hospitals and in the community. Individuals who have AUD and cease to consume alcohol develop Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS). Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome can either be treated on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Three different pharmacological regimens for treating AWS with medications exist. The three regimens include fixeddosing, symptom-triggered, and loading dose regimens (Sachdeva et al., 2015). As Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (APRNs), AWS will be a common diagnosis treated. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) must be aware of the different treatment modalities and the best evidence-based regimens for treating AWS. The purpose of this project is to conduct a systematic review to determine if the use of symptom-triggered dosing compared to fixed-schedule dosing of benzodiazepines for the treatment of AWS decreases total dosage of benzodiazepines administered during the course of treatment.

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 607-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drayton A. Hammond ◽  
Jordan M. Rowe ◽  
Adrian Wong ◽  
Tessa L. Wiley ◽  
Kristen C. Lee ◽  
...  

Purpose: Benzodiazepines are the drug of choice for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS); however, phenobarbital is an alternative agent used with or without concomitant benzodiazepine therapy. In this systematic review, we evaluate patient outcomes with phenobarbital for AWS. Methods: Medline, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were searched from 1950 through February 2017 for controlled trials and observational studies using [“phenobarbital” or “barbiturate”] and [“alcohol withdrawal” or “delirium tremens.”] Risk of bias was assessed using tools recommended by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Results: From 294 nonduplicative articles, 4 controlled trials and 5 observational studies (n = 720) for AWS of any severity were included. Studies were of good quality (n = 2), fair (n = 4), and poor (n = 3). In 6 studies describing phenobarbital without concomitant benzodiazepine therapy, phenobarbital decreased AWS symptoms ( P < .00001) and displayed similar rates of treatment failure versus comparator therapies (38% vs 29%). A study with 2 cohorts showed similar rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (phenobarbital: 16% and 9% vs benzodiazepine: 14%) and hospital length of stay (phenobarbital: 5.85 and 5.30 days vs benzodiazepine: 6.64 days). In 4 studies describing phenobarbital with concomitant benzodiazepine therapy, phenobarbital groups had similar ICU admission rates (8% vs 25%), decreased mechanical ventilation (21.9% vs 47.3%), decreased benzodiazepine requirements by 50% to 90%, and similar ICU and hospital lengths of stay and AWS symptom resolution versus comparator groups. Adverse effects with phenobarbital, including dizziness and drowsiness, rarely occurred. Conclusion: Phenobarbital, with or without concomitant benzodiazepines, may provide similar or improved outcomes when compared with alternative therapies, including benzodiazepines alone.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qu Li ◽  
◽  
Xue-Ping Ma ◽  
Alimujiang Simayi ◽  
Xiao-Li Wang ◽  
...  

Review question / Objective: Lorazepam and other benzodiazepines (BZDs) are considered the first choice for treatment of Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). But they have significant addiction potential and can cause fatal respiratory depression if used in large doses. The aim of our study is to conduct a network meta-analysis to provide some data support for the clinical treatment of AWS. The patients were persons with alcohol withdrawal. The intervention being studied must be a comparison of the efficacy of the two pharmacologic treatments. The study should not be included if two pharmacologic treatments belonging to the same category were compared. All studies must include one of the following outcomes: Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment, revised (CIWA-Ar) score, length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and the incidence of delirium or seizures. Condition being studied: Side effects and safety of eleven types of agents currently used to treat alcohol withdrawal syndrome.


1958 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincoln Godfrey ◽  
Martin D. Kissen ◽  
Thomas M. Downs

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