The efficacy and effect of opioid analgesia in undifferentiated abdominal pain in children: A review of four studies

Abstract

Introduction: The question of whether opioid analgesia should be given in patients with undifferentiated acute abdominal pain has been characterized by concerns about its efficacy and that signs used to determine accurate diagnosis may be masked by the drug. The objective of this review is to critically analyze pertinent pediatric randomized controlled studies considering this issue. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted via Medline in October 2007, using the terms 'abdominal pain', 'physical examination', 'analgesics', 'opioid' and 'appendicitis'. Other articles were identified using the bibliographies of papers found through Medline; alternate databases were searched but..