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Opioid-free anesthesia: a different regard to anesthesia practice
Patricia Lavand'homme1, Jean-Pierre Estebe2
1Department of Anesthesiology, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc - University Catholic of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology
|July 12, 2018
Summary
Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) offers a new approach to perioperative care, potentially reducing long-term opioid use and improving surgical outcomes. Further research is needed to establish best practices and assess patient benefits.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Pain Management
- Perioperative Medicine
Background:
- Opioid prescriptions have increased for chronic pain and perioperative use over the last 20 years.
- Perioperative opioid administration is linked to adverse effects, long-term use, and poorer surgical outcomes.
- Anesthesiologists face increasing responsibility in managing perioperative pain and opioid exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the neurophysiological basis of opioid-free anesthesia (OFA).
- To discuss the rationale for using OFA in perioperative medicine.
- To identify barriers and future challenges in implementing OFA.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on opioid-free anesthesia.
- Discussion of neurophysiological underpinnings.
- Analysis of current practices and future directions.
Main Results:
- Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is gaining popularity for enhanced recovery and reduced postoperative opioid needs.
- Challenges remain regarding safe and stable OFA delivery across diverse surgical procedures.
- Lack of accurate intraoperative nociception monitoring and procedure-specific strategies hinders widespread adoption.
Conclusions:
- Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) represents a significant paradigm shift in anesthesiology.
- OFA has the potential to rationalize perioperative opioid utilization.
- Further multicenter studies are required to objectively assess OFA's impact on patient outcomes.
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