Comparison of droperidol, haloperidol and prochlorperazine as postoperative anti-emetics.

The results of this study demonstrate that prochlorperazine, haloperidol and droperidol are all effective post-operative anti-emetic compounds when compared to saline but vary in onset of activity and duration of action. Haloperidol has the shortest onset of action, being effective within 30 minutes of intravenous administration. Prochlorperazine has an intermediate onset of action and droperidol is the slowest of the three compounds but the only one to provide significant anti-emesis 4-24 hours following administration. Our data suggest that a combination of haloperidol and droperidol may be more effective as an anti-emetic than any one of the compounds used alone.