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Local Hospital leads the way
in trauma pain management
AINTREE Hospital is leading the way in
managing pain relief of injured patients attending A&E by being one of the first
Hospitals in the country to use Penthrox®
(inhaled methoxyflurane). Also known as:- "'The Green Whistle,' Penthrox®
is a patient controlled, inhaled medication, which provides rapid relief from
acute pain. Aintree has been using Penthrox®
to alleviate pain from musculoskeletal injuries, including broken and dislocated
bones. Overcrowding in A&E is a well documented issue and Aintree is no
exception. During busy times it was historically really difficult to administer
pain relief for incoming patients and assess their injuries as quickly as we
would like to. Now we are using Penthrox we can start patients off quickly with
immediate pain relief, relieving their pain earlier than we ever could do
before," explained Dr John Hollingsworth, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Aintree
Hospital, Liverpool."
A major trauma centre in the North West of England, Aintree Hospital's A&E
department receives around 280 trauma and injury related patients a day. In a
Hospital as busy as Aintree, it is important that patients are seen, assessed
and treated as quickly as possible, so waiting times don't become too long. Penthrox® is instrumental in
helping to keep waiting times low as it can be used immediately in patients with
injuries including dislocations and fractures.
When asked about the reason for using Penthrox®
and the results seen so far, Dr Hollingsworth explained:- "We saw a gap in
the market for a drug like Penthrox that can be used quickly and easily in
appropriate patients, to help manage their pain levels and also save valuable
time in routine interventions like shoulder dislocations. In the past a
dislocation could take over 3 hours to treat as it includes delivering
intravenous morphine; waiting for the morphine to work; relocating the shoulder;
X-rays and then post morphine monitoring. With Penthrox the patient can have
pain relief administered, be treated and X-rayed and back out of the door in
less than 30 minutes, saving the patient and Hospital time."
In addition to pain relief, some patients have also reported:-
'disassociation' when using Penthrox®,
meaning they are able to disconnect the feeling of pain from their injury and
are more relaxed when having their joint relocated or wound sutured. "This is a safe and very helpful state for the patient to be in, both for us as
doctors and for patients, as the feeling of disassociation means patients are
more relaxed and in turn the procedure usually goes more smoothly. Typically you
can only achieve this feeling when using much stronger drugs that are not
appropriate for everyday use in A&E." concluded Dr Hollingsworth.
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Penthrox® is licensed for
emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in conscious adult patients with
pain associated with an injury and trauma.
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