Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation
11:19

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation

Published on: January 17, 2011

Intranasal fentanyl for analgesia in the paediatric emergency department

Maria Finn1, Dan Harris

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, Galsworthy Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 7QB, UK.

Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ
|April 14, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Intranasal fentanyl offers a safe and effective pain relief option for children in emergency departments. This study supports its use as an alternative to diamorphine for severe pain management.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Pain Management
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Intranasal opiate analgesia is a common first-line treatment for severe pain in pediatric emergency settings.
  • Diamorphine has been a traditional choice for managing acute pain in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intranasal fentanyl as an alternative analgesic in children with severe pain.
  • To compare intranasal fentanyl with diamorphine in a pediatric emergency department context.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study design.
  • Inclusion of children presenting with severe pain to a pediatric emergency department.
  • Administration of intranasal fentanyl for analgesia.

Main Results:

  • Intranasal fentanyl demonstrated safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients.
  • The study identified intranasal fentanyl as a viable alternative to diamorphine for severe pain.

Conclusions:

  • Intranasal fentanyl is a safe and effective analgesic option for children experiencing severe pain in emergency departments.
  • This finding supports the broader adoption of intranasal fentanyl in pediatric pain management protocols.

Related Concept Videos

Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids01:15

Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids

Synthetic and semisynthetic opioids are pivotal in pain management and tackling opioid addiction. Semisynthetic opioids, including morphinans (morphine derivatives), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, have improved pharmacokinetic profiles compared to morphine. Additionally, heroin and 6-MAM (6-Monoacetylmorphine) show better CNS penetration than morphine due to heightened lipid solubility. Hydromorphone, a potent opioid, undergoes hepatic metabolism to form the active...
Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview01:24

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview

Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia01:29

Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia

Epidural anesthetics are administered in the fat-filled epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. This technique is commonly employed for pain management and anesthesia during lower abdomen and pelvis surgeries or labor and delivery.
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Drug Delivery: Enteral Route01:18

Drug Delivery: Enteral Route

The enteral drug administration involves three primary routes: oral, sublingual, and buccal. Oral ingestion is the most prevalent, safe, economical, and convenient method for drug administration. However, it has certain drawbacks, including limited absorption due to the drug's low water solubility or poor membrane permeability, possible emesis from GI mucosa irritation, destruction of drugs by digestive enzymes or low gastric pH, and irregular absorption along with food or other drugs.
Drugs in...
Analgesia and Pain Management01:25

Analgesia and Pain Management

Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview01:20

Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview

Inhalation anesthetics are drugs that induce general anesthesia upon inhalation. They work by increasing the sensitivity of GABAA receptors or inhibiting NMDA receptors, leading to a decrease in central nervous system activity. The depth of anesthesia can be rapidly adjusted by changing the concentration of the inhaled gas. Some common examples of inhalational anesthetics include volatile liquids like isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane and gases like xenon and nitrous oxide. Isoflurane, a...