Analgesic Effect of Paracetamol in Patients With Femur Fracture: is Intravenous Better Than Oral?

Analgesic Effect of Paracetamol in Patients With Femur Fracture: is Intravenous Better Than Oral?

The purpose of this study is to monitor severe pain for femur fracture after treatment with paracetamol IV or OR.

The investigators enrolled 170 consecutive patients with femur fracture and severe pain. The patients received an initial analgesic treatment with paracetamol orally (OR) or intravenously (IV). The primary outcome was the reduction of pain of 1 point at visual analogue scale for pain (VAS) after the 1 st hour of treatment (T1). Secondary endpoints included the reduction of pain of at least 2 points on the VAS scale at the 4 th hour (T4), the need of rescue therapy and the number of adverse events.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Patients admitted to the ED of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome
• Femur Fracture
• Patients who signed the informed consent
• Able to take analgesic therapy both orally (OR) and intravenously (IV)
• Able to define pain by VAS

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age <18 years
• Allergy to paracetamol
• Unable to take analgesic therapy both orally (OR) and intravenously (IV)
• Unable to define pain by VAS