Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Coffey et al7 | Ducassé et al12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Study setting | Multicenter, emergency department | Multicenter, ambulance |
| Treatment | Methoxyflurane 3 mL inhaler | Premixed 50% N2Oa inhalation 9 L/min |
| Comparator | Placebo 5 mL inhaler | Medical air inhalation 9 L/min |
| Inclusion criteria | ≥12 years of age | ≥18 years of age |
| Pain score ≥4–≤7 (NRS) at time of admission, due to minor trauma | Pain score 4–6 (NRS), due to trauma | |
| Pain assessment | Before first inhalation (baseline), at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes, then every 30 minutes until rescue-medication use or discharge | At baseline, every 5 minutes for 30 minutes, then every 15 minutes until arrival at ED |
| Follow-up duration | 14±2 days | No follow-up |
| Type of pain scale | VAS 100 | NRS |
| Definition of pain relief | Reduction in pain intensity by 30% of baseline score (clinically significant) | Pain score ≤3 (NRS) 15 minutes after first inhalation |
Note:
a
With oxygen.
Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; NRS, numeric rating scale (0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain); VAS, visual analog scale (0 = no pain to 100 = worst pain)