Entonox Gas

ENTONOX GAS

ENTONOX nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture offers the benefits of supplemental oxygen with the pain relief of nitrous oxide without causing unconsciousness. It is a widely used analgesic for acute, short-term pain relief in a variety of clinical situations, from childbirth to painful procedures.

ENTONOX is a potent analgesic with a very rapid onset of action and is rapidly eliminated from the body. It is widely used in delivery rooms, hospitals and ambulance services. It is specifically used for short-term procedures inevitably associated with pain, including (but not limited to):

• Acute trauma
• Tooth extraction or other short procedures in dentistry
• Wound and burn dressing, wound debridement and suturing
• Fracture and joint placement
• Colonoscopy
• Vascular access or blood collection
• Labor pains

Benefits

ENTONOX is a ready-to-use medical gas mixture containing 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen, providing fast, safe and effective short-term pain relief. Its important features are:

• Predictable and reliable analgesia,
• Effective pain relief and sedative effect without causing unconsciousness
• Fast onset and short duration of action; can provide savings by reducing treatment time and increasing patient return,
• Features that help reduce patient anxiety
• Easy, self-regulated application
• Minimal side effects

Contraindications

There are several situations where ENTONOX is contraindicated. For example, ENTONOX should not be used in patients who have recently had eye surgery associated with gas bubble insertion. This is because there is a risk that nitrous oxide will diffuse into the bubble and inflate this bubble, causing it to burst.

ENTONOX may also cause an increase in intracranial pressure, so it should not be used in cases with head injury. It should never be used in patients who have air tightness in their body and any condition whose expansion may be dangerous.

Examples where there may be air compression in the body:

• Pneumothorax
• Abdominal distention
• Suspicion of intestinal obstruction
• Bullous emphysema
• Middle ear procedures
• After a new dive

In addition, its use should be avoided in patients with maxillo-fascial injuries, in whom it is not possible to use equipment that provides gas transmission effectively, in patients with impaired consciousness, in sedation or intoxication.

When ENTONOX is used for more than a total of 24 hours or more than once every 4 days, it should be used in conjunction with close clinical surveillance with haematological monitoring. This is because it can cause vitamin B12 deficiency in susceptible patients (usually associated with prolonged use of gas or there is a pre-existing deficiency). Prolonged inhalation can also cause dry mouth and discomfort.