Inhaled methoxyflurane for the management of trauma related pain in patients admitted to hospital emergency departments: a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial (PenASAP study).

BACKGROUND: Oligo-analgesia is common in the emergency department (ED). This study aimed at reporting, when initiated by triage nurse, the superior efficacy of inhaled methoxyflurane plus standard of care (m-SoC) analgesia versus placebo plus SoC (p-SoC) for moderate-to-severe trauma-related pain in the hospital ED. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at eight EDs. Adults with pain score >/=4 (11-point numerical rate scale, NRS) at admission were randomised to receive one or two inhalers containing m-SoC or p-SoC. Primary outcome measure was time until pain relief