Buscopan Versus Acetaminophen for Acute Abdominal Pain in Children

There is ample evidence that pain in children is under recognized and under treated. This is especially true for acute abdominal pain, a common complaint in the paediatric emergency department. Clinicians often fear that analgesia will obscure the diagnosis of a potentially surgical condition. As a result, acute abdominal pain goes untreated in many children, as there is no standard of care. Hyoscine N-butylbromide (Buscopan) has been used successfully in adults and children for pain associated with urinary tract infections and kidney stones for over 60 years. However, no study has explored its usefulness in relieving acute abdominal pain in children. The objectives of this study are to investigate to what degree Buscopan is effective in relieving abdominal pain in children compared to acetaminophen.