Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Case Reports
Opioid-free balanced anesthesia for cervical ganglionectomy subsequent to recent ultra rapid opioid detoxification.
To perform an opioid-free, balanced anesthetic for an Active Duty soldier undergoing cervical ganglionectomy for intractable occipital neuralgia 7 days after ultra rapid opioid detoxification (UROD) under general anesthesia. ⋯ This patient successfully completed a perioperative and postoperative course using ketamine and dexmedetomidine infusions, in addition to other non-opioid adjuncts. The patient returned to her Active Duty station, with increased functional capacity and remains opioid-free.
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The objectives of this medicolegal case report were the following: 1) present details of a chronic pain patient (CPP) on chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT), who diverted her opioids and was terminated from treatment, and subsequently committed suicide; 2) present both the plaintiff's and defendant's (the COAT prescriber) expert witnesses' opinions as to the allegation of medical abandonment of this patient and other allegations; and 3) based on these opinions, to develop some recommendations as to how pain physicians can minimize their medicolegal risk when termination of the physician-patient relationship is warranted. ⋯ To avoid and protect themselves against potential abandonment allegations when termination of the physician-patient relationship is warranted, physicians are advised to consider following the outlined procedures.