Entonox is an analgesic gas that contains nitrous oxide and oxygen. The nitrous oxide allows for pain relief, while the oxygen is an added additional gas. Entonox is a commonly used drug in the pre-hospital setting worldwide for short term pain relief as it is a potent analgesic with a very rapid onset of action. Entonox is very safe to use and it is a self-administered drug with minimal side effects. During the reflection the author will discuss the effects of Entonox as an analgesic, the indication for Entonox (nitrous oxide & oxygen) and contraindications and also proper ways on how to use the pain relief gas (Drugs, 2006).
Entonox can be identified by its white top and blue cylinder, the cylinder containing 50 % nitrous oxide and 50 % oxygen gas (Morrison, 2012). The cylinder is pressured at 13 700 kPa. The Entonox cylinder comes with various accessories used for the administration of the drug equipment such as a high pressure hose, mask and a demand valve. Entonox comes with a flow regulator which is identified by the one pin index; this flow regulator has a pressure gauge to indicate to …show more content…
Entonox is widely known for its very rapid effects on the pain centers found in the brain and spinal cord which are known to release endogenous neurotransmitters, the likes of opioid peptides and serotonin. The analgesic effect of Entonox occurs due to the fact that when the opioid peptides are released it alters the activation of descending noradrenergic pathways. That time it takes for the effects of Entonox to weir off out of the patients system is very fast. Once the Entonox mask is removed from the patients mouth arterial concentration is regained within 30 seconds. Over other analgesic Entonox has a greater advantage over them cause of its very fast offset action. The 50 percent oxygen found in Entonox allows there to be an oxygen tension increase in the blood (Mair Vater,
Entonox can be identified by its white top and blue cylinder, the cylinder containing 50 % nitrous oxide and 50 % oxygen gas (Morrison, 2012). The cylinder is pressured at 13 700 kPa. The Entonox cylinder comes with various accessories used for the administration of the drug equipment such as a high pressure hose, mask and a demand valve. Entonox comes with a flow regulator which is identified by the one pin index; this flow regulator has a pressure gauge to indicate to …show more content…
Entonox is widely known for its very rapid effects on the pain centers found in the brain and spinal cord which are known to release endogenous neurotransmitters, the likes of opioid peptides and serotonin. The analgesic effect of Entonox occurs due to the fact that when the opioid peptides are released it alters the activation of descending noradrenergic pathways. That time it takes for the effects of Entonox to weir off out of the patients system is very fast. Once the Entonox mask is removed from the patients mouth arterial concentration is regained within 30 seconds. Over other analgesic Entonox has a greater advantage over them cause of its very fast offset action. The 50 percent oxygen found in Entonox allows there to be an oxygen tension increase in the blood (Mair Vater,