Managing acute pain with inhaled methoxyflurane in non-cancer patients: a review of the latest evidence

Abstract

Purpose of the review Penthrox® (inhaled methoxyflurane, IMF) is an inhaled analgesic used for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain. It has various advantages including the capacity for being self-administered in the presence of healthcare providers (HCPs), rapid onset and offset, and having documented evidence for minimal adverse events post-use. In a variety of non-oncological settings such as pre-hospital transport and minor outpatient procedures, amongst others, IMF has significantly reduced acute pain. As IMF has the capacity to provide appreciable pain relief but is not as widely used as other acute analgesics (i.e., opioids), this review of past and current literature hopes to explore the impact of inhaled IMF on patient outcomes, procedures where it could be used, and to inform readers about this compound. Recent findings In general, patients who used IMF had decreased pain, improved psychosocial factors (i.e., reduced anxiety, improved satisfaction), and minimal adverse events thereby being concluded as safe for use. Summary Future use in remote medical interventions such as military contexts, in emergency room settings, and administration under the supervision of first responders such as non-paramedic and non-HCPs further broadens the scope of settings where IMF can meaningfully be implemented.