Pain Control for Renal Colic in the Emergency Department

For patients with renal colic, pain relief is usually the most important need. Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized controlled trial to compare diclofenac (75 mg intramuscular [IM]), paracetamol (1g intravenous [IV]), and morphine (0.1 mg/kg IV) for pain relief in 1645 patients (age, 18–65 years) with moderate to severe renal colic at an emergency department in Qatar. Exclusion criteria included allergy to the study drugs, renal or liver failure, asthma, and pregnancy.

All patients received two IV injections and one IM injection: one with the assigned medication and two with placebo. Pain scores were measured at baseline and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after treatment.

Diclofenac had a small but statistically significant advantage over…