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Pain & sedation
Methoxyflurane feasibility confirmed in Canada
Prehospital analgesia in adults using inhaled methoxyflurane: a feasibility study
Pain Management · 2026-10-01 · Added 3 October 2026
Canadian feasibility study of patient-controlled inhaled methoxyflurane in 97 adult trauma patients found 95% protocol compliance, median pain falling from 8/10 to 5/10, mostly mild side effects in 23%, and no serious drug-related adverse events.
- Study type
- Cohort
- Design
- Single-centre prospective observational feasibility study
- Participants
- 97 adult trauma patients (92 treated)
- Main finding
- Protocol compliance 95%; median NRS pain 8/10 pre-treatment to 5/10 post-treatment; side effects in 23%, mostly mild, with no serious methoxyflurane-related adverse events
- Caveat
- Feasibility study with no comparator arm, so the pain improvement can't be attributed to the drug alone
- Bottom line
- Supports current practice
Why it matters in Australia (High relevance). Methoxyflurane is carried across Australian services as standard, so independent real-world safety and feasibility data feed straight back into how it's used here.
Learning goal
Strengthen my judgement on when patient-controlled inhaled methoxyflurane is appropriate for adult trauma pain.
More
- Topic: Pain & sedation
- Daily scan: 3 October 2026
- Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 3 October 2026
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