THE EFFECTIVENESS OF KETOROLAC AS AN ANALGESIC FOR CONTROLLING PRIMARY HEADACHE IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF JINNAH HOSPITAL

Objective: One of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) called ketorolac is often used to relieve acute pain. This study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of ketorolac as an analgesic for controlling primary headache in emergency departments. Place and Duration: This study was conducted for duration of six in the department of Emergency Medicine, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore from 1st February 2020 to 31st July 2020. Methods: In this study, 50 patients with 50 headaches, receiving 60 mg of ketorolac intravenously by slow infusion over approximately 10 minutes, were included in the study. Pain ratings were assessed on arrival as well as 1 hour and 2 hours after infusion of ketorolac using a visual analogue scale (VAS). To assess differences in VAS pain scores, statistical analysis of data collected using Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests was performed. Results: Decreasing the VAS more than 3 points from the arrival until 1 hour (P < 0.001), and more than 5 points from the arrival until 2 hours after ketorolac administration (P < 0.001) were seen. Those with history of analgesic use before admission in emergency department in comparison with the others did not accompany with more decline in pain score after 1 hour (P = 0.34) or 2 hours (P = 0.92). Conclusion: Ketorolac appears to be a safe and well-tolerated means of controlling pain in patients with primary headache in emergency departments. Based on the results obtained in this study, ketorolac has a pronounced effect that is even more pronounced within 1 hour after application and 2 hours later. Keywords: Ketorolac, headache, pain management, emergency medicine