Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialIntranasal Fentanyl versus Placebo for Treatment of Episodic Breathlessness in Hospice Patients with Advanced Non-malignant Diseases.
Episodic breathlessness is a distressing and difficult to treat symptom because of its short duration. Fast actioned intranasal fentanyl (INF) is potentially more suitable than oral opioids. ⋯ We found no difference between INF and placebo in relieving episodic breathlessness in nonmalignant conditions. INF was well tolerated, and the study design proved to be feasible in hospice patients with advanced diseases. Future study using higher concentration of fentanyl solution may be warranted.