No / Improving the patient¿s experience of a bone marrow biopsy ¿ an RCT
Aims. To compare nitrous oxide 50%/oxygen 50% (N2O/O2 ¿ entonox) plus local
anaesthetic (LA) with placebo (oxygen) plus LA in the management of pain
experienced by patients undergoing a bone marrow biopsy.
. Bone marrow biopsies are a common procedure for many haematological
conditions. Despite the use of a LA, pain during the procedure has frequently
been reported by patients. Previous research in pain management of other invasive
diagnostic procedures (e.g. sigmoidoscopy) has reported N2O/O2 as an effective
alternative to LA.
Design. Double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Methods. Forty-eight patients requiring a bone marrow biopsy were randomized to
receive either N2O/O2 or oxygen in addition to their LA. Participants were asked to
complete a pain score and comment on their experience of the procedure.
Results. Although the overall pain scores were moderate, there was a wide range of
scores. N2O/O2 resulted in significantly less pain for men, but not for women. All
patients who had had previous biopsies reported significantly more pain, regardless
of the gas used. There were no significant adverse effects in either group.
Conclusion. N2O/O2 is a safe, effective, easy-to-use analgesic which merits further
investigation in potentially painful diagnostic (and other) interventions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4518 |
| Date | 01 March 2008 |
| Creators | Johnson, H., Burke, D., Plews, Caroline M.C., Newell, Robert J., Parapia, L. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article |
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