Prehospital chemical restraint of a noncommunicative autistic minor by law enforcement

Prehosp Emerg Care. 2012 Jul-Sep;16(3):407-11. doi: 10.3109/10903127.2011.640767. Epub 2012 Jan 11.

Abstract

When responders are dealing with an agitated patient in the field, safety for all involved may sometimes only be accomplished with physical or chemical restraints. While experiences using chemical restraint in the prehospital setting are found in the medical literature, the use of this by law enforcement as a first-response restraint has not previously been described. We report a case of successful law enforcement-administered sedation of a noncommunicative, autistic, and violent minor using intramuscular droperidol and diphenhydramine. Although this case has some unique characteristics that allowed chemical restraint to be given by the law enforcement agency, it calls attention to some specific prehospital issues that need to be addressed when dealing with autistic patients with extreme agitation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Autistic Disorder
  • Conscious Sedation*
  • Diphenhydramine / administration & dosage
  • Diphenhydramine / therapeutic use
  • Dopamine Antagonists / administration & dosage
  • Dopamine Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Droperidol / administration & dosage
  • Droperidol / therapeutic use
  • Emergency Medical Services*
  • Humans
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / administration & dosage
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives / therapeutic use*
  • Law Enforcement*
  • Male
  • Minnesota

Substances

  • Dopamine Antagonists
  • Hypnotics and Sedatives
  • Diphenhydramine
  • Droperidol