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Evaluation of the Effects of Ketorolac Dose on Duration of Analgesia in Emergency Department (ED) Renal Colic Patients

Evaluation of the Effects of Ketorolac 15mg IV Versus 30mg IV on Duration of Analgesia in Patients Who Present to the Emergency Department With Renal Colic

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05776953
Enrollment
86
Registered
2023-03-20
Start date
2023-12-21
Completion date
2026-08-12
Last updated
2026-08-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Analgesia, Emergencies, Flank Pain, Renal Colic

Brief summary

This is a prospective interventional study examining the effect of ketorolac at doses of 15mg versus 30 mg for duration of analgesia in emergency department patients with suspected renal colic.

Detailed description

Pain is a common emergency department complaint. With various types of analgesics available, the optimal drug is one that provides adequate pain management with minimal side effects. The goal is to effectively treat the patient while maintaining adequate flow in the emergency department. In cases of moderate to severe pain in emergency departments, opioids have been the gold standard.1 Opiates, such as morphine, are associated with side effects that can be distressing to the patient, as well as, costly to the department. Prescribing opiates includes a reluctance in administering sufficient opioid dosing due to fear of tolerance and dependency.2 It has been demonstrated in other studies that the standard dosing of ketorolac is higher than needed to achieve analgesia but have failed to show to what duration of time analgesia is maintained between the dosages. The study will compare the analgesic efficacy of two doses of intravenous ketorolac (15mg and 30mg) for acute flank pain in the Emergency Department (ED), such as renal colic, and how efficacious the pain was controlled at 120 minutes or upon discharge. Motov et al evaluated the effectiveness of ketorolac in moderate to severe pain with a primary endpoint of 30 minutes, however the peak onset of ketorolac is 120 to 180 minutes. Our study may further investigate the ceiling dose of intravenous ketorolac. The primary outcome of both Motov et al and Eidinejad et al was pain reduction 30 minutes after ketorolac administration.3,4 These studies differed in the aspect that Eidinejad et al study examined pain reduction up to 60 minutes, while Motov et al observed up to 120 minutes after administration of ketorolac.3,4 Ketorolac has a peak time of onset at 2 to 4 hours. These studies are not observing ketorolac at its optimal analgesic potency. Therefore, a study is proposed to compare 15 mg vs 30 mg intravenous ketorolac with the primary outcome being pain reduction in renal colic at 120 minutes. Nephrolithiasis and ureterolithiasis are the most common diagnoses in the emergency department for which ketorolac is prescribed.5 This study may further evaluate optimal intravenous ketorolac dosing in pathology it is known to be the most advantageous.

Interventions

DRUGKetorolac

IV Ketorolac for pain

Sponsors

Hackensack Meridian Health
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Masking description

The patient, treating provider, and the investigator will be blinded.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Patients will be included if they present to the Emergency Department with (all of the following): * Adult emergency department patients \< 65 years old * One or more of the following common ED chief complaints associated with the suspected diagnosis of renal colic. These chief complaints include but are not limited to: flank pain, back pain, abdominal pain, left and/or right lower quadrant pain, and/or pelvic pain * Pain score of 4 or greater on the 0-10 NRS * Determination of treatment with IV ketorolac

Exclusion criteria

Patients will be excluded if any of the following apply: * Allergy to ketorolac * Pregnant patients * Previously received analgesic medications within 4 hours prior to administration of ketorolac in our ED * Known or stated history of renal insufficiency * Body weight \< 50 kg * Age greater than 65 years * Patients that do no read/write Spanish or English

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in pain scale post ketorolac administrationAt 120 minutes (+/-10 minutes) from medication administrationThis study may prospectively compare the mean Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain score reduction of 15 mg versus 30 mg of intravenous (IV) ketorolac at 120 minutes after administration to treat renal colic in the emergency department. The scale ranges from 0 to 10 with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "very much pain".

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in pain scale post ketorolac administration at different time pointsAt 90 minutes (+/-10 minutes) from medication administrationThis study may also determine the mean NRS pain score reduction at different time points (90 minutes, 150 minutes, and 180 minutes) after IV ketorolac administration. The scale ranges from 0 to 10 with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "very much pain".
Need for additional rescue analgesiaAt 120 minutes from medication administrationStudy may also examine the number of patients requesting rescue analgesia within two hours of ketorolac administration (yes vs. no)
Type of additional rescue analgesia neededAt 120 minutes from medication administrationFor the patients who need additional pain medication, we will collect the type of medication provided.
Dose of additional rescue analgesia neededAt 120 minutes from medication administrationFor the patients who need additional pain medication, we will collect the dose of medication provided.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBiren Bhatt, MD

Hackensack Meridian Health

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 15, 2026