Intranasal fentanyl in the treatment of acute pain - a systematic review

Due to its non-invasive mode of administration, intranasal (IN) application of drugs may be a valuable alternative to non-invasive pain management. With characteristics that appear to be ideal for IN application, IN fentanyl may have a place in the out-of-hospital treatment and the paediatric population. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence of IN fentanyl in the treatment of acute pain. Reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of IN fentanyl in treatment of pain were systematically sought using the PubMed database, Embase, Google scholar, Cochrane database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Reports were considered for inclusion if they were double-blinded randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of IN fentanyl in the treatment of acute pain. Thirty-two RCTs were identified, and 16 were included in the final analysis. No significant analgesic differences between IN fentanyl and intravenous (IV) fentanyl were demonstrated in treatment of acute and post-operative pain. Significant analgesic effect of IN fentanyl was demonstrated in the treatment of breakthrough pain in cancer patients. In the paediatric population, results demonstrated some analgesic effect of IN fentanyl following myringotomy, no analgesic effect following voiding cystourethrography, and finally, no significant analgesic difference after long bone fractures, in burns patients, and in post-operative pain relief when compared to IV morphine, oral morphine, or IV fentanyl, respectively. Significant analgesic effect of IN fentanyl was demonstrated in the treatment of breakthrough pain in cancer patients. However, the significant deficiencies in trials investigating acute and post-operative pain, and the paediatric population makes firm recommendations impossible.