Opioid Use After Upper Extremity Surgery

Ever since the institution of pain as the fifth vital sign, there has been a rising opioid epidemic in the United States, with Americans now consuming 80% of the global opioid supply while representing only 5% of the world ’s population. Surgeons are tasked with the duty of both managing patients’ pain in the perioperative period and following responsible prescribing behaviors. Several articles have been published with the goal of evaluating opioid use after upper extremity surgery, risk factors for opioid misuse/ abuse, the impact of anesthetic type, and the role of multimodal pain management regimens.

Source: The Journal of Hand Surgery - March 27, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Erich M. Gauger, Erica J. Gauger, Mihir J. Desai, Donald H. Lee Tags: The hand surgery landscape Source Type: research