Nasal spray vs injection: which ketamine route eases trauma pain faster?
NCT ID NCT05229055
First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether ketamine given as a nasal spray works as well as ketamine injected under the skin for treating acute pain from limb injuries in the emergency department. About 1,000 adults with moderate to severe pain will be randomly assigned to one of the two methods. The study measures pain reduction after 30 minutes and tracks any serious side effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ketamine
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could establish a fast, effective, and well-tolerated pain relief option for emergency patients with acute trauma.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-stage trial; results may not confirm superiority or non-inferiority of one route over the other. Side effects like sedation or dissociation are possible with ketamine.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
-
1,000 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Apr 2023
- Finished
-
Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 60 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * • Patients who presented to the ED with acute limb trauma pain with a visual analgesic scale (VAS) of 5 or more on a standard 11 point (0-10). * Pain was considered traumatic if it is reported as appearing immediately after the trauma and no anterior pain was described in the same limb. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy/Breastfeeding * altered mental status (GCS\<15) * Allergy to ketamine or morphine * Weight less than 40 kg or greater than 100kg * Unstable vital signs (systolic blood pressure \<90 or \> 180mmHg, pulse rate\<50 or \>150bpm, and respiration rate \<10 or \>30 breath/min) * Medical history of acute head or eye injury * Medical history of seizure * Medical history of intracranial hypertension, * Medical history of chronic pain, * Medical history of severe renal or hepatic insufficiency. * Medical history of glaucoma * Alcohol or drug abuse * Psychiatric illness, * Recent (4 hours before) analgesic agent use.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
university of Monastir
Monastir, 5000, Tunisia
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