Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: Minimally Invasive Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy in Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment
Published on: April 26, 2024
Team Approach: Use of Opioids in Orthopaedic Practice
Ignacio Pasqualini1, Pedro J Rullán, Matthew Deren
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
»:
The opioid epidemic represents a serious health burden on patients across the United States.
»:
This epidemic is particularly pertinent to the field of orthopaedics because it is one of the fields providing the highest volume of opioid prescriptions.
»:
The use of opioids before orthopaedic surgery has been associated with decreased patient-reported outcomes, increased surgery-related complications, and chronic opioid use.
»:
Several patient-level factors, such as preoperative opioid consumption and musculoskeletal and mental health conditions, contribute to the prolonged use of opioids after surgery, and various screening tools for identifying high-risk drug use patterns are available.
»:
The identification of these high-risk patients should be followed by strategies aimed at mitigating opioid misuse, including patient education, opioid use optimization, and a collaborative approach between health care providers.
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Analgesia and Pain Management
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia

