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Intravenous (IV) hydration is commonly prescribed for emergency department (ED) patients with acute headache, but a small randomized trial previously found no benefit (Ann Emerg Med 2019;73:150). To assess the effect of IV fluid administration, researchers randomized patients aged 10 to 65 years with benign headache to either a 20 mL/kg bolus (up to 1000 mL of normal saline over 1 hour) or a control infusion of 5 mL saline per hour to allow for blinding of patients and outcome assessors. All patients received IV prochlorperazine and diphenhydramine. Exclusion criteria included abnormal neurologic exam, thunderclap headache, trauma, pregnancy, and severe dehydration.
The study was stopped early for slow enrollment after 58 of a planned 90 pat…