ENTONOX®

ENTONOX

BOC Healthcare first introduced a pre-mixed cylinder of 50:50 nitrous oxide and oxygen in the 1960’s. The 50:50 mixture imparts the pain relieving properties of nitrous oxide with the benefits of additional oxygen without producing unconsciousness. In midwifery it replaced the use of gas and air and has become a widely used form of analgesia. Its uses are diverse in nature ranging from childbirth, to wound dressings, to dentistry. More and more research is being carried out looking at new applications for this very useful and safe product.

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Indications

ENTONOX is a potent analgesic with a very rapid onset of action and is quickly eliminated from the body. It is widely used by midwives, hospitals and the ambulance service. It is used exclusively for short-term procedures inevitably involving pain, including (but not limited to):

  • Acute trauma
  • Tooth extraction and other brief procedures in dental work
  • Wound and burn dressing, wound debribement and suturing
  • Fracture and joint manipulation
  • Colonoscopy
  • Venopuncture
  • Labour

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Benefits

ENTONOX is a ready-to-use medical gas mixture of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen that provides rapid, safe and effective short-term pain relief. Key features include:

  • Predictable and reliable analgesia,
  • Effective pain relief and sedative effect without loss of consciousness,
  • Rapid onset and offset, which can lead to savings through reduced treatment time and increased patient turnaround,
  • Properties that help to reduce patient anxiety,
  • Easy, self-regulated administration,
  • Minimal side-effects

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Contraindications

There are a number of situations where ENTONOX is contraindicated.

For example, ENTONOX should not be used where patients have undergone recent eye surgery involving gas bubble insertion. This is because there is a risk that the nitrous oxide will diffuse into the bubble, causing it to expand and eventually burst.

ENTONOX can also cause a rise in intra-cranial pressure, so it should not be used in cases of head injury and it must never be used if the patient has any condition where air is trapped in the body and expansion would be dangerous.

Examples where air may be trapped in the body include:

  • pneumothorax,
  • abdominal distension,
  • suspected intestinal obstruction,
  • bullous emphysema,
  • middle ear procedures,
  • following a recent dive

It should also be avoided where the patient is unable to effectively make use of the gas delivery equipment such as maxillo-facial injuries, impaired consciousness, sedation or intoxication.

When ENTONOX is used for more than a total of 24 hours, or more frequently than every 4 days, it must be used with close clinical supervision with haematological monitoring. This is because it may cause vitamin B12 deficiency in susceptible patients (usually related to prolonged use of the gas or where an existing deficiency is present). Prolonged inhalation can also result in dryness of the mouth and discomfort.