Comparison of analgesic efficacy of ibuprofen and dexketoprofen in pain management of long bone fractures: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study

• Published in: European journal of trauma and emergency surgery (Munich : 2007) 2024-08, Vol.50 (4), p.1791-1798
• Main Authors: Dönmez, Safa, Sener, Alp, Ishak Isık, Nurullah, Akbas, İlker, Yenal, Kadir, Kaya, Bekir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analgesics; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - therapeutic use; Critical Care Medicine; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; Emergency medical care; Emergency Medicine; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Fractures; Fractures, Bone - complications; Humans; Ibuprofen - therapeutic use; Intensive; Ketoprofen - administration & dosage; Ketoprofen - analogs & derivatives; Ketoprofen - therapeutic use; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Original Article; Pain management; Pain Management - methods; Pain Measurement; Prospective Studies; Sports Medicine; Surgery; Surgical Orthopedics; Traumatic Surgery; Tromethamine - administration & dosage; Tromethamine - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1863-9933; 1863-9941; 1863-9941
• DOI: 10.1007/s00068-024-02515-w

Introduction Long bone fractures (LBF) often cause severe pain, impacting patients’ quality of life. This prospective, randomized, double-blind study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy of dexketoprofen (Dex) and ibuprofen (Ibu) in LBF patients in the emergency department. Methods Conducted between August 10, 2023, and January 17, 2024, the study included 100 eligible patients randomized into Dex and Ibu groups. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores were measured at baseline and at 30, 60, and 120 min. DeltaVAS (ΔVAS) values and ΔVAS percentages (ΔVAS%) were calculated. Primary endpoints were ΔVAS scores (ΔVAS 30-60-120) and ΔVAS% for comparative analysis. Results Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in ΔVAS30 ( p  = 0.359). However, ΔVAS60 exhibited a significant difference ( p  = 0.027), as did ΔVAS120 ( p  = < 0.001). ΔVAS%30 showed no significance ( p  = 0.224), but ΔVAS%60 and ΔVAS%120 were clinically and statistically significant ( p  = 0.017 and p  = < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion Ibuprofen 800 mg demonstrated superior analgesic efficacy at 60 and 120 min compared to Dex in long bone fractures. These findings suggest ibuprofen’s potential as an effective pain management option in emergency departments.