II. Evaluation: Pain Rating Scales
-
FLACC Scale (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability Scale)
- Indicated for preverbal children over age 2 months
-
Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
- Reliable pain rating scale for ages 4 to 12 years old
- Numeric Rating Scale (adult Pain Scale)
- Rate pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain)
- May be appropriate for children over age 8 years old
III. Precautions
- Children's pain is frequently under-treated in the emergency department
- Conditions are just as painful for children as they are for adults
- Pain transmission pathways are fully developed by 22 to 24 weeks gestation
- However pain inhibitory pathways are no fully developed in infants
- Infants may experience pain more than in older children
- Do not lie and do not make promises you cannot keep
- Empower children to pause the procedure when something is too painful
- Increases the pain threshold when they have the power to say stop
- Repeated and persistent untreated pain in children can have short and long lasting effects
- Short-term: Greater suffering, decreased function, increased and prolonged encounters
- Long-term: Procedure avoidance, heightened sensitivity and fear, lower pain thresholds, hyperalgesia
- Conditions are just as painful for children as they are for adults
- Avoid Tramadol in children (risk of significant respiratory depression)
- Seen with Ultrarapid CYP2D6 metabolizers
- Avoid Tramadol use in children
- http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm463499.htm
- Avoid Codeine in children
- Same concern with CYP2D6 ultrarapid metabolizers
- Exercise caution with Hydrocodone and Oxycodone
IV. Preparations: Non-Opioid Oral and IV Analgesics
-
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Dose: 15 mg/kg/dose (up to 650 mg) every 6 hours (max: 75 mg/kg/day up to 4000 mg/day)
-
Ibuprofen (Children's Motrin)
- Dose: 10 mg/kg/dose (up to 800 mg) every 6-8 hours (max: 2400 mg/day)
- Avoid under age 3 to 6 months
-
Naproxen (Children's Naprosyn, for age >2 years old)
- Dose: 5-7 mg/kg (up to 500 mg) every 8-12 hours (max: 1250 mg/day)
-
Ketorolac (Toradol)
- Dose: 0.5 mg/kg IV or IM (up to 30 mg) every 6 hours (90 mg/day, and limit to <5 days of use)
-
Ketamine
- See Procedural Sedation and Analgesia
- Dose: 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg IV
- Pure Analgesic at this dose without the Hallucinations that occur at higher dose (0.5 mg/kg)
V. Preparations: Oral Opioid Analgesics
-
Acetaminophen with Hydrocodone (Lortab Elixir)
- Better alternative to Acetaminophen with Codeine (which should be avoided in general)
- Components per 15 ml
- Hydrocodone 7.5 mg
- Acetaminophen 500 mg
- Dosing
- Age 2-3 years (12-15 kg or 27-34 lbs)
- Dose: 3.75 ml (0.75 tsp)
- Age 4-6 years (16-22 kg or 35-50 lbs)
- Dose: 5 ml (1 tsp)
- Age 7-9 years (23-31 kg or 51-69 lbs)
- Dose: 7.5 ml (1.5 tsp)
- Age 10-13 years (35-45 kg or 70-100 lbs)
- Dose: 10 ml (2.0 tsp)
- Age 2-3 years (12-15 kg or 27-34 lbs)
-
Acetaminophen with Oxycodone (Roxicet)
- Components
- Oxycodone 5 mg/5ml
- Acetaminophen 325 mg/5 ml
- Dosing
- Base on Oxycodone dose of 0.05 to 0.15 mg/kg/dose every 4-6 hours up to 5 mg/dose
- Components
-
Oxycodone
- Dose: 0.05 to 0.15 mg/kg/dose (up to 5 mg) orally every 4-6 hours as needed
-
Morphine Sulfate immediate release
- Dosing: 0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg (up to 30 mg) per dose orally every 4-6 hours as needed
-
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
- Dosing: 0.05 mg/kg (up to 5 mg) orally every 4 to 6 hours as needed
VI. Preparations: Topical Anesthetics
- Used prior to Laceration Repair, or pre-phlebotomy
-
LET Anesthesia (Lidocaine-Epinephrine-Tetracaine)
- Cover with Tegaderm for 20 minutes
- Jet Injection (J-Tip)
- Needle-free, high pressure, subcutaneous delivery of Buffered Lidocaine at future IV or phlebotomy site
-
EMLA cream
- Delayed onset of action (60 min) makes it less helpful in ED (better for scheduled phlebotomy)
- LMX-4
- Liposomal Lidocaine within onset of action in 30 min (effect wanes by 60 min)
-
Vapocoolant Sprays (e.g. Fluori-Methane spray)
- Replaced ethyl chloride sprays (newer agents are less volatile, less flammable)
- Buzzy Bee
- Vibrating plastic device with frozen liquid rings
VII. Preparations: Local Anesthetics
- See Local Skin Anesthesia (includes maximum doses)
- See Regional Anesthesia
- See Hematoma Block
- See Digital Block
- See Lidocaine Local Skin Anesthesia
- See Field Block
- See Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity
VIII. Preparations: Intranasal Analgesics and Sedatives
- See Intranasal Drug Delivery Route
- Approach
- Maximal amount that may be absorbed intranasally is 0.3 ml
- Typical drug delivery is via a Mucosal Atomization Device (MAD Atomizer)
- Device has 0.1 ml dead space (draw up extra 0.1 ml medication)
- Alternatives when atomizer is unavailable
- Slow drip into the nose via syringe
- Syringe with angiocatheter plastic tip with slow drips into the nose
- Technique
- Blow nose before administration (Rhinorrhea and mucous may interfere with absorption)
- Direct the MAD Atomizer toward the occiput or ipsilateral eye (not up)
-
Intranasal Fentanyl
- Dose: 1.5 to 2 mcg/kg intranasal up to 100 mcg/dose (1/2 in each nostril) via MAD Atomizer
- Intranasal Midazolam or Versed (for sedation for anxiolysis)
- Opioids are generally used instead (often with better effect)
- Dose: 0.3 to 0.5 mg/kg up to 10 mg/dose intranasal (1/2 in each nostril) using 5 mg/ml solution
- Onset in 3 to 5 minutes, peak effect in 10 minutes and duration 20 minutes
- Intranasal Ketamine (not in mainstream use yet as of 2022)
- Analgesia
- Ketamine 1 to 1.5 mg.kg (1/2 in each nostril)
- Procedural Sedation
- Use Ketamine 100 mg/ml if available (maximal nasal dose volume 0.5 ml)
- Dose: 2 to 4 mg/kg intranasally
- Onset of action: 10 min
- Duration: 15-20 min (up to 60 min)
- Observe for 60 min after procedure
- Efficacy
- Anecdotally not as affective as other routes of Ketamine, and Intranasal Fentanyl
- However prior dosing (1 mg/kg) was likely too low for Procedural Sedation
- References
- Graudins (2015) Ann Emerg Med 65(3): 248-54 [PubMed]
- Nordt, Poonai and Ramiakhan in Swadron (2022) EM:Rap 22(3): 5-6
- Analgesia
IX. Preparations: Intravenous Opioid Analgesics
-
Fentanyl
- Dose: 1 mcg/kg IV or IM (up to 100 mcg) every 30-60 min
-
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
- Dose: 0.015 mg/kg (up to 1 mg) every 4-6 hours
-
Morphine Sulfate
- Dose: 0.1 mg/kg IV or IM (up to 15 mg) every 1-2 hours
X. Preparations: Opioid and Benzodiazepine antagonists
- Naloxone (Narcan) 0.1 mg mg/kg (up to 2 mg) IV, IM, SQ, ET
- Nalmefene
- Flumazenil (Romazicon)
XI. Management: Infants - General Measures
- Sucrose (infants)
- 50% solution, 2 ml on the Tongue, 2 minutes prior to procedure
- Offers good analgesia prior to Heel Stick
- Haouari (1995) BMJ 310:1498-500 [PubMed]
- Sweet-ease Pacifiers
- Nonnutritive sucking via Pacifier
- Swaddling in warm blanket
- Facilitated Tucking
- Hold infant's arms and legs flexed close to torso
XII. Management: Children - General Measures
- See Childlife Specialist Measures to Calm Children
- See Autism (includes interaction techniques)
XIII. References
- Dannenberg in Herbert (2017) EM:Rap 17(10): 5
- Hipskind and Kamboj (2016) Crit Dec Emerg Med 30(10): 15-23
- Khetarpal and Scott (2016) Crit Dec Emerg Med 30(5): 17-23
- Kosoko and Tobar (2021) Crit Dec Emerg Med 35(11): 3-9