Articles: opioid.
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Critical care clinicians are likely to see an increasing number of patients admitted to the ICU who are receiving US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) given the well-documented benefits of these agents. Oral methadone, multiple formulations of buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone are the three types of MOUD most likely to be encountered by ICU clinicians; however, these drugs vary with respect to formulations, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects. ⋯ Despite the challenges in administering MOUDs in critically ill patients, extrapolation of data from other hospital settings suggests that the benefits of continuing MOUD therapy outweigh the risks in patients able to continue therapy. This article provides guidance for critical care clinicians caring for patients admitted to the ICU already receiving methadone, buprenorphine, or extended-release naltrexone. The guidance includes algorithms to aid clinicians in the clinical decision-making process, recognizing the inherent limitations of the existing evidence on which the algorithms are based and the need to account for patient-specific considerations.
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Brainstem areas involved in descending pain modulation are crucial for the analgesic actions of opioids. However, the role of opioids in these areas during tolerance, opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), and in chronic pain settings remains underappreciated. We conducted a revision of the recent studies performed in the main brainstem areas devoted to descending pain modulation with a special focus on the medullary dorsal reticular nucleus (DRt), as a distinctive pain facilitatory area and a key player in the diffuse noxious inhibitory control paradigm. ⋯ However, the upregulation of MOR and DOR, at the rostral ventromedial medulla, in inflammatory pain models, suggests therapeutic avenues to explore. Mechanistically, the rationale for the diversity and complexity of alterations in the brainstem is likely provided by the alternative splicing of opioid receptors and the heteromerization of MOR. In conclusion, this review emphasizes how important it is to consider the effects of opioids at these circuits when using opioids for the treatment of chronic pain and for the development of safer and effective opioids.
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Randomized controlled trials indicate regional anesthesia (RA) improves postoperative outcomes with reduced pain and opioid consumption. Therefore, we hypothesized children who received RA, regardless of technique, would have reduced pain/opioid use in routine practice. ⋯ Despite adjustment for confounders, the association of RA with pediatric pain/opioid use outcomes was mixed. Further investigation is necessary to maximize the benefits of RA.
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The efficiency of descending pain modulation, commonly assessed with the conditioned pain modulation procedure, is diminished in patients with chronic pain. The authors hypothesized that the efficiency of pain modulation is controlled by cortical opioid circuits. ⋯ Anterior cingulate cortex κ opioid receptor activation therefore diminishes descending control of nociception both in naive animals and as an adaptive response to chronic pain, likely by enhancing net descending facilitation. Descending control of nociception can be restored by activation of μ opioid receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex, but also by κ opioid receptor antagonists, providing a nonaddictive alternative to opioid analgesics. Navacaprant is now in advanced clinical trials.