Author: Dylan Luyten, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Recent randomized controlled trial compared intravenous to oral acetaminophen in emergency department patients
• There was no difference in pain relief between the groups
• While the actual acquisition cost of these drugs are not significant, the cost multipliers that are passed onto patients lead to real dollars
• With the significant cost of IV acetaminophen, it may not be the best choice given the lack of superiority to other formulations

References:

Furyk J, Levas D, Close B, Laspina K, Fitzpatrick M, Robinson K, Vangaveti VN, Ray R. Intravenous versus oral paracetamol for acute pain in adults in the emergency department setting: a prospective, double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial.Emerg Med J. 2018 Mar;35(3):179-184. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2017-206787. Epub 2017 Dec 15. PubMed PMID: 29247042.

Summarized by Will Dewsipelaere, MS3 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD