Intranasal Fentanyl for Pain Management in Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Intranasally administered fentanyl (INF) has been studied as an alternate route of delivery for pain relief in children. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the available research evidence on the use of INF in the pediatric population. A search was conducted of PubMed, ISI, Scopus, Popline, CINAHL, and Embase for research studies evaluating INF in this population (0-18 years of age). The studies were graded on the strength of the evidence and the results reviewed. All of the reviewed studies showed similar or improved pain scores when compared with other opioids and administration methods. No severe adverse outcomes were reported. Current evidence suggests that INF is a safe and effective method of pain management for children in a variety of clinical settings.