Nitrous Oxide Eases Suturing Pain in Children

A new study has determined that the use of nitrous oxide is more effective in sedating children, 2-6 years old, during facial suturing than the traditional use of an oral medication. Conducted by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO, USA), the study was reported in the January 2001 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.

In the study, children received one of four different kinds of care: standard care of comforting and topical anesthesia augmented with injected lidocaine if needed; standard care and oral midazolam; standard care and nitrous oxide; and standard care, oral midazolam, and nitrous oxide. Videotapes of the procedures were blindly scored to assess distress at the beginning, during wound cleaning, lidocaine injecting, suturing, and recovery. The use of standard care and nitrous oxide alone scored the highest of all the care methods in reducing pain and anxiety.

"When we began the study, we were looking for a more effective sedation method, fewer side effects, and a shorter recovery time. The use of nitrous oxide has given us all of these benefits,” said Jan D. Luhmann, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine.



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Annals of Emergency Medicine