Study evaluates the effectiveness of methoxyflurane versus standard care for pain management in the ED

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 2 2021

Initial management with inhaled methoxyflurane in the emergency department did not achieve the prespecified substantial reduction in pain, but was associated with clinically significant lower pain scores compared to standard therapy.

That is the conclusion of a study titled Rapid Administration of Methoxyflurane to Patients in the Emergency Department (RAMPED) Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Methoxyflurane Versus Standard Care that was published recently in the February 2021 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), a journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

According to findings of the controlled randomized trial, secondary outcomes included the pain score at multiple time points and the difference in the proportion of patients achieving a >2 point reduction on the pain numerical rating scale. Additionally, methoxyflurane use was not associated with any serious adverse events and was not associated with a significant change in opioid use among emergency department patients.

The lead author of the study is Lisa Brichko, MBBS (Hons), DCH, MHM, of the Emergency and Trauma Centre at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia. The findings of the study are discussed with the author in a recent AEM podcast titled The RAMPED Trial - It's a Gas, Gas, Gas.