Analgesia in ED and at discharge according to the number of fractured ribs
| NO. OF FRACTURED RIBS | N | PRESCRIBED ANALGESIA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACETAMINOPHEN, N(%) | NSAIDS, N (%) | OPIOIDS, N (%) | ICE, N (%) | NONE, N (%) | ||
| No. of fractured ribs in ED* | ||||||
| • 0 | 175 | 33 (18.9) | 21 (12.0) | 52 (29.7) | 1 (0.1) | 113 (64.6) |
| • 1 | 111 | 30 (27.0) | 14 (12.6) | 33 (29.7) | 70 (63.1) | |
| • 2 | 82 | 35 (42.6) | 17 (20.7) | 37 (45.1) | 36 (43.9) | |
| • ≥ 3 | 76 | 30 (39.5) | 18 (23.6) | 46 (60.5) | 25 (32.9) | |
| No. of fractured ribs at discharge* | ||||||
| • 0 | 173 | 89 (51.4) | 64 (36.9) | 109 (63.0) | 8 (4.6) | 32 (18.5) |
| • 1 | 109 | 72 (67.3) | 34 (31.8) | 76 (71.0) | 12 (11.2) | 19 (17.8) |
| • 2 | 80 | 58 (73.4) | 26 (32.9) | 61 (77.2) | 1 (1.3) | 8 (10.1) |
ED—emergency department, NSAID—nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
↵* χ2 P value was < .05 except for ice. Intercostal block was not used in significant proportions of patients (≤ 5).