The most common injury prompting an emergency department (ED) visit in children is a cut
(laceration) that requires repair using stitches or skin glue. Despite anesthetic (freezing),
laceration repair is often very distressful because in young children, most occur on the
face. There is currently no effective drug to relieve the distress of laceration repair in
children. The goal is to find a safe and effective drug to reduce distress in children
undergoing laceration repair. Dexmedetomidine is a new drug that safely provides mild
sedation and can be given as a painless nasal spray. Intranasal dexmedetomidine (IND) has
been shown to reduce distress in children undergoing painful procedures such as dental work
and intravenous insertion. However, no large study has explored IND for laceration repair. In
order for research to change the way we care for children, a large study that enrolls
children across many paediatric EDs needs to be performed. The first step is to conduct a
smaller study to identify the safest and most effective dose. The proposed study plans to
enroll 55 children age 1-10 years who require laceration repair.