Perioperative Use of Opioids: Current Controversies and Concerns

Publication date: Available online 17 July 2019Source: Best Practice & Research Clinical AnaesthesiologyAuthor(s): John C. Alexander, Biral Patel, Girish P. JoshiAbstractIn the midst of an epidemic of opioid abuse and overdose related morbidity and mortality, the use of opioids remains the most common means of providing analgesia in the perioperative period. In this article, we review the risks and benefits of opioid use in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of care. Furthermore, we describe the role that surgeons and anaesthesiologists can play in reducing perioperative opioid use and mitigate their adverse effects, both from an individual and population health perspective.
Source: Best Practice and Research Clinical Anaesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research