Treatment With Oral Versus Intravenous Acetaminophen in Elderly Trauma Patients With Rib Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Trial

研究概要

One hundred and thirty-eight elderly trauma patients presenting with at least 1 rib fracture were randomized to receive intravenous (IV) acetaminophen (n=75) or oral acetaminophen (n=63) for pain control. The primary outcome of interest was reduction in pain score on a 10-point scale at 24 hours follow-up. Secondary outcomes of interest included the incidence of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, incidence of mortality, incidence of pneumonia, incidence of intubation, length of hospital stay and ICU stay, opioid consumption in morphine equivalents at 24 hours follow-up, incidence of adjunct pain medication usage, and the increase in incentive spirometry at 24 hours follow-up. Results revealed no statistical significant differences between the IV and oral groups in all outcomes (p>0.05 for all).