Articles: opioid-analgesics.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Jan 2021
Observational StudyFinancial and Clinical Ramifications of Introducing a Novel Pediatric Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathway for Pediatric Complex Hip Reconstructive Surgery.
Enhanced recovery after surgery pathways confer significant perioperative benefits to patients and are currently well described for adult patients undergoing a variety of surgical procedures. Robust data to support enhanced recovery pathway use in children are relatively lacking in the medical literature, though clinical benefits are reported in targeted pediatric surgical populations. Surgery for complex hip pathology in the adolescent patient is painful, often requiring prolonged courses of opioid analgesia. Postoperative opioid-related side effects may lead to prolonged recovery periods and suboptimal postoperative physical function. Excessive opioid use in the perioperative period is also a major risk factor for the development of opioid misuse in adolescents. Perioperative opioid reduction strategies in this vulnerable population will help to mitigate this risk. ⋯ The impacts of our pediatric enhanced recovery pathway for adolescents undergoing complex hip reconstruction are consistent with the ongoing improvement in perioperative metrics at our institution but are difficult to distinguish from the impacts of other initiatives and evolving practice patterns in a pragmatic setting. The ERAS pathway helped codify and organize this new pattern of care, promoting multidisciplinary evidence-based care patterns and sustaining positive preexisting trends in financial and clinical metrics.
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Jan 2021
Chronic postoperative opioid use after open cardiac surgery: A Danish population-based cohort study.
Knowledge of chronic opioid use after cardiac surgery is sparse. We therefore aimed to describe the proportion of new chronic post-operative opioid use after open cardiac surgery. ⋯ New chronic post-operative opioid use after open cardiac surgery is common. Focus on post-discharge opioid use may help clinicians to reduce rates of new chronic opioid users.
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Perioperative pain control is of increasing importance as awareness regarding the risks of under-controlled pain and opioid abuse rise. Enhanced recovery protocols and multimodal analgesia, including regional blocks, are useful tools for the plastic surgeon. ⋯ The widespread use of these methods may be limited by the requirements for ultrasound equipment and anesthesiologists skilled in regional blocks. This article describes a novel technique of the intercostal field block under direct visualization that is safe and efficient.
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Variability exists in opioid prescribing practices among surgeons, frequently resulting in the prescription of excessive opioids. This study evaluated the ability of a single educational intervention targeted toward general surgery residents to reduce the quantity of postoperative opioids prescribed. ⋯ Following this targeted intervention, patients were discharged with fewer OME and more nonopioid analgesics, even as refill requests decreased. Educating residents on opioid prescription guidelines and multimodal therapy is effective and should be part of the annual didactic curriculum.