Sufentanil Sublingual Tablet Reduces Postoperative Opioid Use Following Outpatient Plastic Surgery

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Pain Management
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Managing pain while minimizing opioid use is a key challenge in outpatient plastic surgery.
• Intravenous (IV) opioids during surgery may necessitate further dosing in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), extending recovery.
• Sufentanil sublingual tablet (SST) has demonstrated potential in reducing opioid consumption and recovery duration for general surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of SST on PACU opioid utilization.
• To assess adverse events associated with SST compared to traditional IV opioid regimens.
• To determine the effect of SST on recovery time in patients undergoing aesthetic surgery.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review compared patients receiving SST with a control group using standard IV opioids.
• The study included 61 patients who received a 30 mcg SST before surgery or extubation.
• A control group of 32 patients underwent similar procedures without SST.

Main Results:

• Both groups were comparable in age and sex, with similar procedure durations and intraoperative opioid use.
• A significantly lower percentage of SST patients (16.4%) required rescue opioids in the PACU compared to controls (90.6%; P < 0.001).
• Opioid dosage was approximately 5-fold higher in the control group, though overall recovery duration did not differ significantly.

Conclusions:

• Sufentanil sublingual tablet (SST) substantially decreased the need for intraoperative and postoperative opioid administration in the PACU.
• SST shows promise as an effective strategy for opioid-sparing pain management in outpatient plastic surgery.
• Further research may explore optimizing SST protocols to potentially influence recovery duration.