Intranasal Desmopressin Compared with Intravenous Ketorolac for Pain Management of Patients with Renal Colic Referring to the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: This double-blind randomized clinical trial aimed at comparing the effect of intranasal desmopressin with that of intravenous ketorolac in pain management of patients with renal colic referring to the emergency department. METHODS: The patients were randomly divided to two groups. One group received intravenous ketorolac 30 mg and intranasal normal saline, while, the other one received intranasal desmopressin 40 μg and 1 mL of intravenous distilled water. The patients’ pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale at the time of admission, 10, 30, and 60 minutes after drug administration. RESULTS: Overall, 40 patients with mean age of 32.53 ± 6.91 participated in this study. Gender ratio (P = 0.288), mean age (P = 0.165), and mean pain score on arrival (P = 0.694) had no significant difference. The mean pain scores, 10, 30, and 60 minutes after drug administration in the ketorolac group was significantly lower than the desmopressin group, and decreased more rapidly (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is likely for desmopressin to be less efficacious than ketorolac, and desmopressin leads to a significant alleviation of pain in patients with renal colic.