Nose drops vs. needles: can a simple spray replace IV pain relief for tiny babies?
NCT ID NCT07190625
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two ways of giving fentanyl (a painkiller) to preterm babies undergoing painful procedures like inserting a breathing tube or a central line. One method uses a tiny spray into the nose, the other uses an IV needle. The goal is to see if the nose spray works just as well, offering a less invasive option. About 75 preterm infants will participate.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 75 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Up to 28 days
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Preterm neonates with gestational age between 28 and 36 weeks gestation. * Undergoing painful procedures such as central venous access insertion, elective endotracheal intubation, and lumbar puncture. Exclusion Criteria: * known contraindications for fentanyl use, such as fentanyl hypersensitivity and liver failure. * Known contraindication for intranasal administration of drugs (choanal atresia, nasal mucosal erosion, and epistaxis) * Post-surgical patients. * Patients sedated by fentanyl infusion / midazolam infusion. * Evidence of neurological disease with disturbed conscious level, such as intraventricular hemorrhage grade III or IV, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, or inborn error of metabolism.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ain Shams University
RECRUITINGCairo, Egypt
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Virtual reality may offer drug-free pain relief during prenatal needle procedures
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- Virtual reality may replace painkillers during procedures