Abstract
Administration of intravenous opioid analgesia to patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain remains a controversial topic in many emergency departments. To determine whether opioid analgesia impacts assessment of the sonographic Murphy sign (SM) in evaluating acute gallbladder disease (GBD), a retrospective chart review was undertaken. The chart review encompassed 119 patients, 21% of whom, having received opioid analgesia before ultrasound, constituted the opioid group. Between the opioid and control (i.e., no opioid analgesia) groups, there were no significant differences in SM sensitivity (48.2%; CI 28.7–68.1% vs. 68.8%; CI 41.3–89%, respectively) or specificity (92.5%; CI 83.4–97.5% vs. 88.9%; CI 51.8–99.7%, respectively) for GBD. There was no association between opioid analgesia and false-positive SM (OR 0.74, CI 0.08–6.65), or false-negative SM (OR 1.42, CI 0.46–4.43). We conclude that the test characteristics of SM are unaffected by opioid analgesia.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
