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Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Objective Nociceptive Assessment in Ventilated ICU Patients: A Feasibility Study Using Pupillometry and the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex
Published on: July 4, 2018
The effect of opioids on gastrointestinal function in the ICU
Yun Yan1,2, Yu Chen3,4, Xijing Zhang5,6
1Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Abstract:
Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is common in the critical care setting and is highly associated with clinical outcomes. Opioids increase the risk for GI dysfunction and are frequently prescribed to reduce pain in critically ill patients. However, the role of opioids in GI function remains uncertain in the ICU. This review aims to describe the effect of opioids on GI motility, their potential risk of increasing infection and the treatment of GI dysmotility with opioid antagonists in the ICU setting.
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