bid was required in only one patient with a clavi- cle fracture. The main side effects were light- headache (5 patients), constipation (4 patients) and nausea (3 patients). Conclusions: These data indicate that oxy- codone is a safe and effective drug for pain re- lief in polytrauma patients without severe tho- racic, kidney or brain damage. Key Words: Oxycodone, Polytrauma, Pain Introduction Polytrauma is a clinical condition defined by the presence of at least two long bone fractures, or one life-threatening injury and at least one ad- ditional injury, or severe head trauma and at least one additional injury 1 . Polytrauma patients usually undergo complex medical management; in particular, treatment of these patients will generally require resuscita- tion, emergency surgery, intensive care and complex reconstructive surgery. Nevertheless, a satisfactory pain control is also required for those patients 2 . Treatment of acute pain in polytrauma patients is always a great challenge. In fact, one of the most important characteristic for polytrauma is the high risk of internal bleeding. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is very common in the management of pain in polytrauma patients but it is associated with an increased hemorrhagic risk 3 . 123 Abstract. – Introduction: This is the first study investigating the effect of oxycodone in polytrauma patients. The management of pain in polytrauma patients has become a very relevant issue. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent the most used drugs in poly- trauma patients, even though their use is asso- ciated with an increased hemorrhagic risk. Pre- vious studies have demonstrated the efficacy of oxycodone for the treatment of acute pain. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of oxycodone administration in polytrauma pa- tients, with minor injuries. Patients and Methods: 15 polytrauma pa- tients (10 males, mean age 40 ± 13 years; 5 fe- males, mean age 49 ± 26 years) were admitted to the Emergency Department of the Catholic Uni- versity, A. Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy. All pa- tients underwent physical examination, FAST ul- trasound, total body CT scanning and blood tests. Three patients had multiple costal frac- tures, three had pelvic fracture, two had tibial fracture, five had vertebral fractures, one patient had clavicle fracture and ulnar fracture, one pa- tient a severe trauma of the left leg, which re- quired amputation. Five patients also reported minor head trauma, with a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 15. All patients reported abdominal trauma, while none of them had severe thoracic or kidney damage. Patients with head trauma also under- went a second CT head scanning 12 hours after admission, which excluded the occurrence of cerebral damage. All patients were then treated with oral administration of oxycodone 10 mg two times per day (bid) for 3 days. Pain intensity, be- fore and after the administration of oxycodone, was evaluated using a scale ranging from 0 to 10. Results: The mean pain score at admission was 8 ± 0.7. All patients reported significant pain improvement after the administration of oxy- codone (8 ± 0.7 vs 1.8 ± 0.9; p < 0.0001). A dosage increase of oxycodone from 20 to 40 mg European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2008; 12: 123-126 Corresponding Author: Francesco Franceschi, MD; e-mail: castrv@terra.es Use of oxycodone in polytrauma patients: the “Gemelli” experience F. FRANCESCHI 1 , M. MARINI 3 , S. URSELLA 1 , L. CARBONE 1 , M. CANDELLI 1 , G. PIGNATARO 1 , M. GABRIELLI 1 , L. SANTARELLI 1 , V. OJETTI 1 , B. GIUPPONI 1 , V. FIORE 1 , F. BARBARO 1 , G. DE MARCO 1 , F. BUCCELLETTI 1 , F. MANCINI 1 , D. ROCCARINA 1 , G. GIGANTE 1 , A. GASBARRINI 2 , G. GASBARRINI 2 , N. GENTILONI SILVERI 1 1 Emergency Department and 2 Internal Medicine Institute, Catholic University of Rome (Italy) 3 Istituto di Anestesia e Rianimazione, Catholic University of Rome (Italy)