Podcast 802: Intranasal Medication Administration for Pediatric Patients

<p><strong>Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Intranasal medication administration is a convenient, quick, and relatively painless option for pediatric patients</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Often used as an initial medication to help control pain in children prior to establishing an IV</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Using an atomizer is preferred when administering intranasal medications</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The syringe should be angled towards the ipsilateral eye or occiput rather than straight upwards</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Do not administer more than 1 mL of fluid per nostril as volumes greater than 1 mL are not sufficiently absorbed</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Intranasal medication doses differ from the traditional IV dosages and have a slower onset of action</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Del Pizzo J, Callahan JM. Intranasal medications in pediatric emergency medicine.</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pediatr Emerg Care.</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">2014;30(7):496-501; quiz 502-494.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fantacci C, Fabrizio GC, Ferrara P, Franceschi F, Chiaretti A. Intranasal drug administration for procedural sedation in children admitted to pediatric Emergency Room.</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci.</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">2018;22(1):217-222.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rech MA, Barbas B, Chaney W, Greenhalgh E, Turck C. When to Pick the Nose: Out-of-Hospital and Emergency Department