Annals of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Sedation for cardioversion in the emergency department: analysis of effectiveness in four protocols.
We compare effectiveness, adverse effects, and recovery times of propofol, etomidate, and midazolam (with and without flumazenil) for cardioversion in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Four sedative regimens (propofol, etomidate, midazolam, and midazolam/flumazenil) were uniformly effective in facilitating ED cardioversion in hemodynamically stable adults. Propofol was well tolerated and lacked the myoclonus, prolonged sedation, and resedation noted with the latter 3 respective groups. Larger studies are needed to generalize these conclusions.