Does Magnesium Sulfate Boost Pain Relief in Renal Colic?

Oct 16, 2024

Edited by Gargi Mukherjee

August 01, 2024

TOPLINE:

The addition of magnesium sulfate to diclofenac provides superior pain relief to that provided by diclofenac alone in emergency department patients with acute renal colic, but the added benefit does not reach clinical significance.

METHODOLOGY:

IN PRACTICE:

"Considering its efficacy and relatively minor side effects, MgSO4 [magnesium sulfate], appears to be a suitable adjuvant analgesic treatment and could be considered with IM NSAIDs [intramuscular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs] as a first-line combination for managing renal colic. The use of MgSO4 in emergency settings may be a cost saving alternative in many hospitals in middle-income countries," the authors concluded.

SOURCE:

The study, led by Marwa Toumia, MD, Monastir University, Monastir, Tunisia, was published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The study failed to obtain diagnostic imaging for all patients with suspected urolithiasis. Relying on ultrasonography instead of clinical judgement could have affected the accuracy of the diagnosis. Additionally, the study could not determine whether higher doses of lidocaine or magnesium sulfate might provide more favorable results.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was conducted without financial support. The authors declared no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.

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