Associate Professor Dhanani and his team explore a new pain relief method, nebulised dexmedetomidine, for burn patients. Dexmedetomidine, delivered as a mist, may offer better pain control with fewer complications than the current approach.

Patients with burns often undergo painful procedures, like dressing changes, and they need effective pain relief strategies. The usual method to relief pain in this scenario (intravenous ketamine and midazolam) can be insufficient and cause problems. Nebulised dexmedetomidine is a unique, non-invasive drug that may provide better pain control without major side effects. This study aims to assess its effectiveness and safety compared to the standard method.

The study successfully recruited 20 patients and showed promising results with no serious adverse effects. Patients and clinical staff reponded positively, indicating strong support for future, larger trials. All data was collected as planned and will be analysed and published in a leading medical journal. The findings suggest that a large randomised controlled trial is feasible, which will further investigate the effectiveness of nebulised dexmedetomidine in managing procedural pain in burns patients. Preliminary feedback from patients is that this pain management is a 'game changer'.