ABSTRACT
Background: There is growing interest in physical medicine
treatment options for renal colic. In this study, we aimed to determine
whether or not heat-patch treatment with no drug was effective in
relieving renal colic.
Methods: For this purpose, patients who were diagnosed with renal
colic in the emergency department were randomized to have either
heat-patch or sham treatment. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores of
renal colic, body temperature (Btemp), and sub-patch skin temperature
(Stemp) values were measured at 0,15,30,45, and 60 min. In addition, the
salvage treatment needs of the groups were compared.
Results: The average age of the study group was30.5 ± 8.3 years
and that of the sham group was 31.0 ± 8.2 years (p = 0.75).
According to the baseline VAS score of the patients, 15, 30, 45, and
60min VAS scores significantly decreased in the heat-patch group
(p <0.001). The Btemp values did not differ
significantly between the heat-patch and sham groups. In addition, no
statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in
terms of Stemp values at 0 and 15 min (p = 0.39and p =
0.10, respectively). However, there was a significant difference in the
heat-patch group in terms of Stemp values at30, 45, and 60 min compared
to the sham group (p <0.001). The salvage treatment
rates for the heat-patch and sham groups were 11.5% and 31.4%,
respectively (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: As non-pharmaceutical treatment, the heat-patch has
been shown to be a possible candidate for pain relief in patients with
urolithiasis. Further research should concentrate on multicenter and
large-scale randomized studies.
Keywords: Urolithiasis, Renal colic, Pain, Heat patch