Opioid-free surgery treats pain at every physical and emotional level
Hot Topics TalkLifestyle / Hot Topics Talk 1 week ago 43 Views 0 comments
By Heather Margonari, University of Pittsburgh; Jacques E. Chelly, University of Pittsburgh, and Shiv K. Goel, University of Pittsburgh
The opioid crisis remains a significant public health challenge in the United States. In 2022, over 2.5 million American adults had an opioid use disorder, and opioids accounted for nearly 76% of overdose deaths.
Some patients are fearful of using opioids after surgery due to concerns about dependence and potential side effects, even when appropriately prescribed by a doctor to manage pain. Surgery is often the first time patients receive an opioid prescription, and their widespread use raises concerns about patients becoming long-term users. Leftover pills from a patient’s prescriptions may also be misused.
Researchers like us are working to develop a personalized and comprehensive surgical experience that doesn’t use opioids. Our approach to opioid-free surgery addresses both physical and emotional well-being through effective anesthesia and complementary pain-management techniques.
What is opioid-free anesthesia?
Clinicians have used morphine and other opioids to manage pain for thousands of years. These drugs remain integral to anesthesia.
Most surgical procedures use a strategy called balanced anesthesia, which combines drugs that induce sleep and relax muscles with opioids to control pain. However, using opioids in anesthesia...
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