SHIFTHEADS: The Green Whistle: What It Is and Why It Works

Green whistle pain relief became the most searched phrase the moment Ishmael Kone waved from a stretcher mid-exit at the FIFA tournament, and Dr. Mitch Schulman, emergency room physician and chief medical correspondent for CTV, is here to explain exactly what that device is and why a healthy athlete on a soccer pitch is precisely the right person to use it. Methoxyflurane has been approved in Canada since 2022, works in six to twelve breaths, and lasts up to sixty minutes. Dr. Mitch breaks down why it makes sense on a field where needles and IVs aren't an option, and why most emergency rooms have moved on to better alternatives. Listener injury texts set the table first: both arms broken at the wrist simultaneously, a chemistry experiment that ended with a palm-sized blister, and a broken clavicle with a silver lining. Topics: green whistle, methoxyflurane, pain relief Canada, Ishmael Kone injury, emergency medicine GUEST: Dr. Mitch Schulman Originally aired on 2026-06-24