Attempts were made to contact authors for additional or missing information. Mean differences were used for continuous variables. Sedation was evaluated using different instruments. Side effect data were poorly reported but there is no evidence of a consistent difference between zuclopenthixol acetate and other 'standard drugs' for either the pattern of side effects or the wish to leave the study early. Hospital and service outcomes, number of aggressive incidents, satisfaction with care and economic outcomes were not addressed by any study.
Most trials present important methodological flaws and findings are poorly reported.
There were no data directly related to tranquillisation, but it may produce more earlier and intense sedation than oral haloperidol. Well-conducted randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm claims related to the use of zuclopenthixol acetate in emergency psychiatry. This is an abstract of a regularly updated, systematic review prepared and maintained by the Cochrane Collaboration. Update Software Ltd. All rights reserved.