Nebulized Fentanyl for Respiratory Symptoms in Patients With COVID-19

Summary

Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) experience distressing and challenging to manage respiratory symptoms. Interventions such as Oxygen (O2) therapy, oral opiates, and traditional nebulizers like ipratropium bromide and salbutamol, are variably effective, and therapeutic responses in individual patients are difficult to predict. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of nebulized fentanyl citrate on dyspnea, cough, and throat pain in patients with COVID-19, as well as evaluate the safety with any potential adverse events. In COVID-19, about 59% of patients will exhibit cough, 35% generalized body ache and sore throat and 31% will have dyspnea. Nebulized Lidocaine, magnesium, and opioids are alternative methods for the management of respiratory symptoms in various patients. Fentanyl nebulization was found to be effective in decreasing dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients by decreasing the rate of spontaneous respiratory rate, modulating cortical activity, and diminishing the brain stem chemoreceptor response to hypoxia and hypercarbia. The investigators hypothesize that nebulized fentanyl is superior to nebulized saline in suppressing cough, respiratory drive, improving breathlessness or dyspnea with the additional advantage of throat pain relief with minimal adverse effects in patients with COVID-19.

Timeline

Start

2022-02

Primary completion

2022-11

Completion

2022-12

Publications

• Background Hildreth L, Pett D, Higgins E. Nebulized fentanyl for refractory dyspnea secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A case report. Respir Med Case Rep. 2020 Oct 12;31:101251. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101251. eCollection 2020.
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• Background Elliott J, Whitaker M, Bodinier B, Eales O, Riley S, Ward H, Cooke G, Darzi A, Chadeau-Hyam M, Elliott P. Predictive symptoms for COVID-19 in the community: REACT-1 study of over 1 million people. PLoS Med. 2021 Sep 28;18(9):e1003777. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003777. eCollection 2021 Sep.
• Background Scialo F, Daniele A, Amato F, Pastore L, Matera MG, Cazzola M, Castaldo G, Bianco A. ACE2: The Major Cell Entry Receptor for SARS-CoV-2. Lung. 2020 Dec;198(6):867-877. doi: 10.1007/s00408-020-00408-4. Epub 2020 Nov 10.

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