Comparison the analgesic effect of oral acetaminophen vs ibuprofen in children with supracondylar fractures: A Triple-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction: A supracondylar fracture are common in children with the average age of is 5-8 years. It is especially important to pay attention to pain control in these children because of lots of pain. This study was design to compare the analgesic effect of oral ibuprofen vs acetaminophen in children with supracondylar fractures who undergoing non-surgical treatment.Material & Methods: This triple-blind clinical trial was conducted on children with supracondylar fracture referred to the Emergency Department of Emam Reza and Hosheminejad Hospital. Children’s pain were assessed 2, 4 and 12 hours after taking the drug by VAS (Visual Analog Scale) criteria, which was explained by researcher to their parents. Results: In this study, 64 children with a mean age of 5.7±1.7 years were studied. 31 children in the acetaminophen group and 33 children in the ibuprofen group were evaluated. The mean pain score reduction within 12 hours of drug administration showed no difference between the two groups (P = 0.710). After 12 hours of drug administration, 5 and 7 children being painless in the acetaminophen and ibuprofen, respectively, with no difference between the two groups.Conclusion: During the 12 hours after ibuprofen and acetaminophen, children had similar analgesia and there was no significant difference between the two drugs in terms of pain relief and side effects, and both drugs are safe and effective for pain-control in children.