Transnasal Therapy for Acute Migraine Attack

Migraine is a significant health problem in the United States with 34 million Americans suffering from migraine attacks every year. High-flow oxygen has been successfully used in several clinical studies. Vasoconstriction of blood vessels in the scalp has been proposed as a possible mechanism of action. Some researchers have suggested that the cooling effect of high-flow dry oxygen may be in part responsible for the pain relief. The main objective is to test the hypothesis that the pain relief obtained during high-flow trans-nasal gas therapy is due to the cooling effect of dry gas on the nasal mucosa. The study entails recruiting patients from a headache clinic, being escorted to the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) Johns Hopkins Bayview and randomized into different groups (humidified oxygen, dry air, humidified air and dry oxygen). Eventually, patients will be asked to fill out a questionnaire on pain, nausea, sound and light sensitivity graded on a scale of 1-10. Readings are noted at baseline, 15 mins, 2 hours and 24 hours post-therapy.