Articles: opioid.
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Observational Study
Do acupuncture services reduce subsequent utilization of opioids and surgical interventions compared to noninvasive therapies among patients with pain conditions?
To compare prescribed opioid use and invasive surgical interventions between patients using acupuncture and those using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)/physical therapy (PT). ⋯ Acupuncture showed a modest effect in reducing opioid use and ED visits. More research on acupuncture's place in emergency care, pain relief, and comparison to other types of non-opioid treatment is needed.
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Addict Sci Clin Pract · Nov 2021
ReviewEarly innovations in opioid use disorder treatment and harm reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a significant toll on the lives of people who use opioids (PWUOs). At the same time, more flexible regulations around provision of opioid use disorder (OUD) services have led to new opportunities for facilitating access to services for PWUOs. In the current scoping review, we describe new services and service modifications implemented by treatment and harm reduction programs serving PWUO, and discuss implications for policy and practice. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has posed multiple challenges for PWUOs, while simultaneously accelerating innovations in policies, care models, and technologies to lower thresholds for life-saving treatment and harm reduction services. Such innovations highlight novel patient-centered and feasible approaches to mitigating OUD related harms. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term impact of these approaches and inform policies that improve access to care for PWUOs.
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Opioids have been identified by the World Health Organization to be 'indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering'. Side-effects, such as nausea, vomiting, postoperative delirium, and effects on breathing, of opioids have been well investigated; however, the influence of opioids on monocyte-endothelial adherence has never been reported. Therefore, we explored the effects of representative opioids, fentanyl, sufentanil, and remifentanil, on monocyte-endothelial adherence and the underlying mechanisms. ⋯ We demonstrated that sufentanil application increases monocyte-endothelial adherence which was associated with reduced release of ATP from Cx43 channels in monocytes. This side-effect of sufentanil should be considered seriously by clinicians.