SGEM#302: We Didn’t Start the Fire but Can Antacid Monotherapy Stop the Fire?

Date: September 22nd, 2020 Guest Skeptic: Dr. Chris Bond is an emergency medicine physician in Calgary. He is also an avid FOAM supporter/producer through various online outlets including TheSGEM. Reference: Warren et al. Antacid monotherapy is more effective in relieving epigastric pain than in combination with lidocaine. A randomized double-blind clinical trial. AEM Sept 2020. Case: A 34-year-old male presents to the emergency department with burning epigastric pain after eating two hours ago. He says he gets this from time to time but this is the worst it has ever been. He denies chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and vomiting. His vital signs are within normal limits and his abdominal exam reveals mild epigastric and left upper quadrant tenderness with no peritonitis. Background: Patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with epigastric pain are typically treated with an antacid, either alone or combined with other medications. Such medications include viscous lidocaine, an antihistamine, a proton pump inhibitor, or an anticholinergic (1,2). In Canada we often use an antacid plus viscous lidocaine referred to as a “Pink Lady”. This is different than the alcoholic cocktail called a Pink Lady. In the US, combination treatment is often called a “GI Cocktail”. There are mixed results from studies with varying methodological quality looking at acute dyspepsia management in the ED. One single-blind study comparing 30 mL of antacid with or without 15 mL of viscous lidocaine found the addition of lidocaine significantly increased pain relief, decreasing patient pain score by 40 mm compared to 9 mm with antacid monotherapy (3). Another single-blind RCT comparing antacid plus either benzocaine solution or viscous lidocaine found no statistical difference between the two interventions, however, there was no antacid monotherapy group (4). A larger, double-blind RCT of 113 patients compared 30 mL of antacid monotherapy, antacid with 10 mL of an anticholinergic, and antacid with anticholinergic and 10 mL of 2% viscous lidocaine. This study found all treatments had clinical efficacy and there was no statistical difference in pain relief between the three treatment groups. The conclusion from Berman et al was to recommend antacid monotherapy (5). Clinical Question: Is antacid monotherapy more effective in relieving epigastric pain than in combination with lidocaine? Reference: Warren et al. Antacid monotherapy is more effective in relieving epigastric pain than in combination with lidocaine. A randomized double-blind clinical trial. AEM Sept 2020. * Population: Adult patients with epigastric pain or dyspepsia presenting to the emergency department. * Excluded: Patients unable to consent or under 18 years of age. * Intervention:  * Arm 1 (Viscous): Received 10 mL oral lidocaine 2% viscous gel plus 10 mL antacid (traditional antacid/lidocaine mixture) * Comparison: * Arm 2 (Solution): Received 10 mL lidocaine 2% solution plus 10 mL antacid * Arm 3 (Antacid): Received 20 mL antacid alone * Outcome: * Primary Outcome: Change in pain scores on 100mm visual analog scale (VAS) at 30 minutes after treatment. * Secondary Outcomes: Medication palatability (taste, bitterness, texture, and overall acceptability) using a VAS, change in pain score 60 minutes post administration and adverse events. This is an SGEMHOP episode which means we have the lead author on ...