Background: Intravenous (IV) and Intranasal (IN) route for analgesic administration cannot always be used to provide adequate pain management in pre-hospital setting. Objective: In a rural and suburban pre-hospital setting, studying the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of the subcutaneous (SC) route for fentanyl administration by Basic Life Service-Emergency Medical Technician (BLS-EMT) for pain management, with the support of an online medical control (OLMC) center. Methods: Retrospective study of patients who received subcutaneous fentanyl and were transported by BLS-EMT to an emergency department (ED). Safety and feasibility were characterized by collecting vital signs, Ramsey sedation scores and adverse events following fentanyl administration, and effectiveness was evaluated by changes in pain scores. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used for statistical analyses comparing age groups (<70 & ≥70 years old) regarding transport time. Results: Pain scores ≥7 were found in 288 patients (14-93 years old) who were eligible for analgesia. 249 (86.5%) of the 284 (98.6%) who received subcutaneous fentanyl were included for analysis. At baseline, no difference (p>0.05) in pain scores pre-fentanyl between groups even if patients<70 years old received a significant higher dose of fentanyl than those ≥70 years old (1.4±0.3 v/s 0.8±0.2mcg/kg, p<0.05). Post-administration pain score decreased significantly while proportion of patients achieving a pain relief increased significantly (p<0.05) regarding transport time (15, 30 or 45min) to ED. Adverse events were present in 1.6% of the patients [hypotension (n=2; 0.8%), nausea (n=1; 0.4%), and Ramsey score>3 (n=1; 0.4%)]. Conclusion: Under the supervision of an OLMC center, subcutaneous fentanyl administration by BLS-EMT for pain management seems to be a feasible approach, with a safe and effective route without major adverse event in pre-hospital setting. Pain relief increased with longer transport time. Further studies are needed to determine the benefits of SC route when compared to other administration routes in EMS.
