Does low-dose droperidol administration increase the risk of drug-induced QT prolongation and torsade de pointes in the general surgical population?

Background: The US Food and Drug Administration issued a black box warning regarding the use of droperidol and the potential for torsade de pointes (TdP).

Methods: The primary objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether low-dose droperidol administration increased the incidence of TdP in the general surgical population during a 3-yr time period before and after the Food and Drug Administration black box warning. A random sample of 150 surgical patients during each time interval was selected to estimate the droperidol use for each time period.