Articles: opioid-analgesics.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Apr 2022
ReviewOpioid use, misuse, and abuse: a narrative review about interventions to reduce opioid consumption and related adverse events in the perioperative setting.
Opioids remain the most potent and predictable drug available for perioperative analgesia and moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain. However, their efficacy has been questioned in other clinical settings. ⋯ Thus, there has been a significant effort to develop strategies to curtail their unnecessary prescription. Here, we summarize the history, current trends, and new directions in perioperative opioid prescription in an unbiased manner.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Brain-based measures of nociception during general anesthesia with remifentanil: A randomized controlled trial.
Catheter radiofrequency (RF) ablation for cardiac arrhythmias is a painful procedure. Prior work using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in patients under general anesthesia has indicated that ablation results in activity in pain-related cortical regions, presumably due to inadequate blockade of afferent nociceptors originating within the cardiac system. Having an objective brain-based measure for nociception and analgesia may in the future allow for enhanced analgesic control during surgical procedures. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to demonstrate that the administration of remifentanil, an opioid widely used during surgery, can attenuate the fNIRS cortical responses to cardiac ablation. ⋯ We observed cortical activity related to nociception during cardiac ablation under general anesthesia with remifentanil. It highlights the potential of fNIRS to provide an objective pain measure in unconscious patients, where cortical-based measures may be more accurate than current evaluation methods. Future research may expand on this application to produce a real-time indication of pain that will aid clinicians in providing immediate and adequate pain treatment.
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Observational Study
Post-discharge Opioid Consumption After Minimally Invasive and Open Colectomy: Does Operative Approach Matter?
To determine if patients consume less opioid after minimally invasive colectomy compared to open colectomy. ⋯ Patients undergoing minimally invasive and open colectomy consume similar amounts of opioid after discharge. The size of the postoperative prescription, patient age, and diagnosis are more important in determining opioid use. Understanding factors influencing postoperative opioid requirements may allow surgeons to better tailor prescriptions to patient needs.
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Internal medicine journal · Apr 2022
ReviewDeveloping a framework for implementing Opioid Stewardship Programs in Australian Hospital Settings.
There is growing interest in strategies to improve patient safety with prescription opioids, collectively known as opioid stewardship (OS). This study aimed to develop a framework to facilitate the implementation of OS in the Australian acute hospital setting. Using a Modified Delphi Technique, a diverse stakeholder panel (including patient representatives and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals) was selected. ⋯ The remaining item not agreed on in the initial round was modified based on comments received and reached 100% agreement on importance at the second round. There was greater than 85% agreement on importance of 24 of 27 items for inclusion in a framework with 8 of 27 reaching a 100% level of agreement. We have developed a framework for OS in the Australian acute hospital settings that may be used to guide health services to prioritise and plan strategies to improve opioid use.
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Long-term opioid treatment in patients with chronic pain is often ineffective and possibly harmful. These patients are often managed by GPs who are calling for a clear overview of effective opioid reduction strategies for primary care. ⋯ Results carefully point in the direction of a GP supervised tapering and multidisciplinary group therapeutic sessions to reduce long-term opioid treatment. However, because of high risk of bias and small sample sizes, no firm conclusions can be made demonstrating the need for more high-quality research.