Feasibility of Prospectively Comparing Opioid Analgesia With Opioid-Free Analgesia After Outpatient General Surgery: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The overprescription of opioids to surgical patients is recognized as an important factor contributing to the opioid crisis. However, the value of prescribing opioid analgesia (OA) vs opioid-free analgesia (OFA) after postoperative discharge remains uncertain. Objective: To investigate the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomized clinical trial (RCT) to assess the comparative effectiveness of OA vs OFA after outpatient general surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: This parallel, 2-group, assessor-blind, pragmatic pilot RCT was conducted from January 29 to September 3, 2020 (last follow-up on October 2, 2020). at 2 university-affiliated hospitals in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Participants were adult patients (aged ≥18 years) undergoing outpatient abdominal (ie, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, or hernia repair) or breast (ie, partial or total mastectomy) general surgical procedures. Exclusion criteria were contraindications to drugs used in the trial, preoperative opioid use, conditions that could affect assessment of outcomes, and intraoperative or early complications requiring hospitalization. Interventions: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive OA (around-the-clock nonopioids and opioids for breakthrough pain) or OFA (around-the-clock nonopioids with increasing doses and/or addition of nonopioid medications for breakthrough pain) after postoperative discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes were a priori RCT feasibility criteria (ie, rates of surgeon agreement, patient eligibility, patient consent, treatment adherence, loss to follow-up, and missing follow-up data). Secondary outcomes included pain intensity and interference, analgesic intake, 30-day unplanned health care use, and adverse events. Between-group comparison of outcomes followed the intention-to-treat principle. Results: A total of 15 surgeons were approached; all (100%; 95% CI, 78%-100%) agreed to have patients recruited and adhered to the study procedures. Rates of patient eligibility and consent were 73% (95% CI, 66%-78%) and 57% (95% CI, 49%-65%), respectively. Seventy-six patients were randomized (39 [51%] to OA and 37 [49%] to OFA) and included in the intention-to-treat analysis (mean [SD] age, 55.5 [14.5] years; 50 [66%] female); 40 (53%) underwent abdominal surgery, and 36 (47%) underwent breast surgery. Seventy-five patients (99%; 95% CI, 93%-100%) adhered to the allocated treatment; 1 patient randomly assigned to OFA received an opioid prescription. Seventeen patients (44%) randomly assigned to OA consumed opioids after discharge. Seventy-three patients (96%; 95% CI, 89%-99%) completed the 30-day follow-up. The rate of missing questionnaires was 37 of 3724 (1%; 95% CI, 0.7%-1.4%). All the a priori RCT feasibility criteria were fulfilled. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this pilot RCT support the feasibility of conducting a robust, full-scale RCT to inform evidence-based prescribing of analgesia after outpatient general surgery. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04254679.

Opioids: other routes for use in recovery room.

Opioids remain the main pharmacological tools for pain control in the postoperative patient. Recent concerns about chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have put extra pressure on health care workers to device and develop new medications and delivery methods to provide patients with appropriate pain relief after surgery. New technologies and better understanding of the pharmacology of the opioids administered by non-traditional ways will be reviewed in this manuscript. Understanding the anatomy of the nose cavity is important to use the inhaled way to deliver fentanyl, sufentanyl or butorphanol in surgical patients. High concentration and small volume are keys to good absorption and effect by nasal administration. Transdermal delivery of fentanyl has been used in chronic pain for some years. A new fentanyl self-administration method is in advanced trials for clinical use. It has a huge potential in giving good pain relief with lower side effects and more patient independence because of its reduced size and lack of tubing attached to it. Day surgery patients could be great candidates for this therapeutic alternative. Finally, oral transmucosal fentanyl is also in the market. Better suited to be used in controlling breakthrough pain in chronic settings, it has been so far marketed in the perioperative period. Side effects are a concern in its use for preoperative sedation in children. Large studies are now required for drugs approval and for new indications at regulatory agencies level. Good clinical judgment is more relevant now than ever before to avoid complications and new withdraw of old good medications inappropriately prescribed from the market place.

Vertebroplastía percutánea en el manejo del dolor de las fracturas vertebrales por compresión / Percutaneous cement vertebral augmentation in vertebral compression fractures: an update

Las fracturas vertebrales por compresión son de alta prevalencia y se relacionan principalmente a osteoporosis y cáncer. Frecuentemente tienen consecuencias devastadoras en la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Aquellos pacientes que no responden al tratamiento conservador se pueden beneficiar de una técnica mínimamente invasiva, la vertebroplastía, para reforzar la vértebra fracturada con cemento y así controlar el dolor. La vertebroplastía es un procedimiento ambulatorio con baja tasa de efectos colaterales cuando la realiza un médico con experiencia y el entrenamiento adecuado. Su tasa de éxito va del 65 al 95 por ciento, dependiendo de la indicación. Sólida evidencia científica se requiere aún para apoyar su amplio uso clínico.

Vertebral compression fractures are highly prevalent. Osteoporosis and cancer are the main causes. As a consequence patients endure excruciating breakthrough pain and debilitating experience that affect their quality of life. Those individuals that do not respond to classic treatment might benefit of vertebral cement augmentation. This is a totally ambulatory procedure aimed to control pain and stabilize the bone. Percutaneous approach is usually undertaken. Long lasting pain relief results in 65 to 95 percent of patients with a very low profile of complications when the procedure is done by experienced practitioners. Randomized, blinded and prospective studies are still required.