Articles: opioid.
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J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. · Jul 2021
Bilateral Erector Spinae Blocks Decrease Perioperative Opioid Use After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
The present study examined the feasibility and efficacy of continuous bilateral erector spinae blocks for post-sternotomy pain in pediatric cardiac surgery. ⋯ Bilateral erector spinae blocks were associated with a reduction in opioid use in the first 48 hours after pediatric cardiac surgery compared with a matched cohort from the enhanced recovery program. Larger studies are needed to determine whether this can result in an improvement in recovery and patient satisfaction.
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In response to the opioid epidemic, many states have enacted policies limiting opioid prescriptions. There is a paucity of evidence of the impact of opioid prescribing interventions in primary care populations, including whether unintended consequences arise from limiting the availability of prescribed opioids. ⋯ Limiting prescription opioids did not change the opioid overdose rate among primary care patients, but it reduced the rate of opioid-related adverse effects in the year following the state-level policy change, particularly among patients with chronic opioid prescription history and opioid-naïve patients. Limiting the quantity and duration of opioid prescriptions may have beneficial effects among primary care patients.
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Cancer pain is highly prevalent and often managed in primary care or by oncology providers in combination with primary care providers. ⋯ Our findings highlight how real-time negotiation about roles in opioid pain management is needed between interdisciplinary clinicians. Lack of cross-disciplinary role agreement may result in delays in clinically appropriate cancer pain management.
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Lack of training among health care providers (HCPs) to safely prescribe opioids is a contributing factor to the opioid crisis. Training and other resources have been developed to educate providers about safe and appropriate opioid prescribing practices. ⋯ HCPs' exposure to opioid educational information was associated with less opioid prescribing for chronic pain. Findings indicated a difference in exposure and knowledge gaps across provider groups. More information is needed on the content of opioid educational information provided to HCPs.
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Recent data indicate that patients treated in the emergency department for an ankle sprain receive multiple medications. However, research has not been able to accurately identify all the medications because of study limitations. The primary purpose of this study was to document the type of medication, number of doses, and number of encounters given a prescription at discharge or instructions to take over-the-counter medication. The secondary purpose was to determine if the proportion of encounters given each type of medication varied on the basis of age, sex, race, and year. ⋯ Patients are primarily given an opioid or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the emergency department. Fewer patients receive a prescription at discharge but are regularly instructed to take over-the-counter medication.