Ketorolac versus acetaminophen for treatment of acute fever in the emergency department

Background. The purpose of this preliminary study was to compare acetaminop hen to ketorolac for treating patients with fever in the emergency departme nt (ED). Methods, In this prospective, randomized, double-blind pilot study, patient s were enrolled as a convenience sample during a 6-month study period. All subjects 18 years or older with a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher were eligible. Investigators gave patients 10 mg of oral ketorolac or 750 m g of oral acetaminophen. The temperature and pulse were rechecked at 30, 60 , and 90 minutes. Patients recorded discomfort on a visual analog scale (VA S) at 30, 60, and 90 minutes. Results, A total of 17 patients were enrolled. A t test showed no differenc e in temperatures, and the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test showed no differ ence in VAS scores. Conclusion. In this preliminary study comparing ketorolac with acetaminophe n for febrile illness in the ED, we found no difference in efficacy between the two medications.