• Beverly K Philip, Pat Ray Reese, and Steven P Burch.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Management, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. bphilip@zeus.bwh.harvard.edu
• J Clin Anesth. 2002 Aug 1;14(5):354-64.

Study ObjectiveTo evaluate the consequences of opioid use for postoperative pain management and the degree to which these consequences may be reduced or minimized with opioid-sparing or opioid-replacement techniques.DesignLiterature review relating to the economics of postoperative pain management. Comparisons between opioids and opioid-sparing techniques were identified and selected for study.Measurements And Main ResultsStudies evaluating overall economic impacts or surrogate outcomes (e.g., resource use or recovery milestones) showed benefits with opioid-sparing therapies.ConclusionsOpioids will likely remain an integral part of postoperative pain management, but side effects increase the costs of care. The challenge is to identify situations where opioid-sparing techniques improve surrogate economic measurements and decrease overall hospital costs.

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