Effect of Infusion Warming on Mannitol Infusion Pain in Patients With Acute Ocular Hypertension

Acute ocular hypertension requires timely reduction of intraocular pressure to relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of optic nerve damage. Intravenous mannitol is commonly used in ophthalmic emergency care because of its rapid osmotic effect. However, mannitol infusion may cause infusion-related pain, discomfort, slowing or interruption of infusion, and local venous complications such as irritation and phlebitis. These problems may affect both patient experience and treatment efficiency. Warming of intravenous fluids has been used in clinical practice to reduce discomfort associated with infusion of hyperosmotic or irritating solutions. In this study, an infusion warming device was applied during intravenous mannitol administration to examine whether warming could improve the tolerability and clinical performance of mannitol infusion in patients with acute ocular hypertension. Eligible patients requiring intravenous mannitol treatment were assigned to either a warming group or a non-warming group. In the warming group, mannitol was administered through an infusion warming device according to the study protocol. In the non-warming group, mannitol was infused without warming according to routine clinical practice. Patient-reported outcomes and clinical outcomes were assessed during and shortly after infusion. The main objective of the study was to compare infusion-related pain between the two groups. Additional objectives were to compare comfort, infusion efficiency, local infusion-related complications, and short-term intraocular pressure response after treatment. The study was conducted at a tertiary ophthalmic center in China.