Evaluation of the role of oxygen therapy in the treatment of emergency department patients with primary headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting

Aim It is crucial to treat patients presenting with headaches quickly and effectively, particularly in emergency services and outpatient clinics. Given the widespread use of analgesics in headache treatment, the aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of oxygen inhalation therapy in enhancing efficacy and reducing analgesic use. Methods Data were collected prospectively from patients admitted to the emergency department with headache complaints between November 2016 and January 2017. Two randomized groups were formed: one group received only metoclopramide, while the other received metoclopramide with oxygen therapy. Results Our study included 106 patients, of whom 53 received IV metoclopramide therapy. Oxygen inhalation therapy was administered to 3% of patients at 10 L/min via a diffuser mask, along with IV metoclopramide. The median pain levels of patients in Group 2 were as follows: 20 minutes: -5 ± 3.4, 40 minutes: -2 ± 3.0, and 60 minutes: -1 ± 2. Treatment success rates at 20 minutes were 3.8% in Group 1 and 18.9% in Group 2, increasing to 60.4% and 81.1% at 60 minutes, respectively. The median time to the end of pain was 40 minutes in the metoclopramide treatment group and 50 minutes in the oxygen therapy group. Conclusion The addition of oxygen to treatment has been shown to significantly increase treatment efficacy and shorten the time to patient pain relief. Oxygen inhalation has shortened the duration of patients’ pain and played an active role in early patient discharge.