Comparative evaluation of intravenous dexketoprofen and paracetamol in the management of pain induced by sore throat

Objectives Sore throat is one of the most prevalent causes of emergency visits. The chief purpose of this clinical report is to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous (IV) dexketoprofen and paracetamol drugs relative to each other in relieving the pain induced by sore throat in emergency visits. Methods This prospective, randomised, double‐blind, controlled study was conducted at a tertiary‐level emergency unit. The eligible population (n = 200) with confirmed pharyngitis diagnosis on the Tonsillo Pharyngitis Assessment and moderate to severe sore throat was randomly divided into two cohorts to be administered with 50 mg of dexketoprofen (n = 98) or 1000‐mg paracetamol (n = 102). The study drugs dissolved in 150‐mL saline were administered by rapid IV infusion. All the recruited patients were re‐assessed by Sore Throat Pain Intensity Scale (STPIS), Difficulty Swallowing Scale (DSS) and Swollen Throat Scale (SwoTS) at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. In addition, presence of sore throat was re‐evaluated by Sore Throat Relief Scale (STRS) at these time points. Results A total of 200 patients completed the study. The median age in dexketoprofen and paracetamol cohort was 25 (18‐57) and 29 (17‐76), respectively. Dexketoprofen and paracetamol provided relief in sore throat pain, with Total Pain Relief scores (TOTPAR0–120 min) being 5.68 ± 2.06 mm in the former case and 6.03 ± 1.76 mm in the latter (P > .05). The IV administration of paracetamol and dexketoprofen decreased STPIS, DSS and SwoTS scores over time, while increasing STRS scores. The average value of STRS was measured as 4.41 ± 1.18 in the paracetamol cohort and 4.15 ± 1.23 in the dexketoprofen cohort during 0‐120 minutes (P = .545). Conclusion In emergency department, IV dexketoprofen and paracetamol reduced sore throat pain equally, providing similar analgesic efficacy.