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The Lancet Public Health journal published findings from a study of opioid analgesic consumption in 66 countries and found great disparity. Consumption was measured in milligram morphine equivalent per 1000 inhabitants per day (MME per 1000/day), from 2015 to 2019. Of much concern, “Opioid use in...
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New guidelines for perioperative acute pain treatment in patients undergoing complex surgeries have been established by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and 14 other societies, including American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery...
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In a narrative review published in Cureus, researchers examined acute pain, which is normal postsurgery, and its potential transition to chronic pain. Postsurgery rates of persistent/subacute pain (lasting over a month) range from 10% to 50%; chronic pain (lasting more than 3 months) is seen in 2%...
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Postsurgery, who needs which kind of pain management medication? A study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery looks at opioid-naïve patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valve surgery. Of more than 1900 patients, 28% were discharged without a prescription for opioids...
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The Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research reports the potential benefits of combination therapy after posterior spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents. While it is known that pain scores, postop opioid usage, and needed physical therapy are reduced through the use of gabapentin...
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After thoracic surgery, chronic neuropathic pain is common—3 months postsurgery, the rate of postthoracotomy pain syndrome (PTPS) is over half; at 6 months, 47%. Symptoms/complications include shooting/burning pain, shocking, and aching pain that can last years. A study published in the Journal of...
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The journal of Anesthesiology featured a special article in which a new concept is presented: a prescription opioid ecosystem. The need for this ecosystem stems from the “opioid paradox” that, even though the past 10 years has seen a drop in opioid prescribing of about 38%, deaths from opioids have...
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The journal of Pediatrics reports a study of the transition from medical use of opioids in children to nonmedical use later in life. What does early exposure lead to? Reviewers searched almost a dozen databases for patients under age 18 who underwent a short or unknown course of opioids, who later...
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With fatal overdoses at an all time high and opioids responsible for over 70% of them, naloxone is greatly needed. But over half of overdoses happen when the user is alone; 27% occur in front of bystanders who don’t realize what is happening or don’t know what to do. Therefore, news of a wearable...
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In a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY annual meeting, the concerns of postsurgery opioid use, and the groups most at risk, were highlighted. For patients using opioids for the first time for pain management after surgery, certain groups—people who smoke, those who suffer from depression, and...