Methadone and Buprenorphine in the Perioperative Setting: A Review of the Literature.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to highlight the most recent literature and guidelines regarding perioperative methadone and buprenorphine use. RECENT FINDINGS: Surgical patients taking methadone and buprenorphine are being encountered more frequently in the perioperative period, and providers are becoming more familiar with their pharmacologic properties, benefits as well as precautions. Recommendations pertaining to buprenorphine therapy in the perioperative settings have changed in recent years, owing to more clinical and basic science research. In addition to their use in chronic pain and opioid use disorders, they can also be initiated for acute postoperative pain indications, in select patients and situations. Methadone and buprenorphine are being more commonly prescribed for pain management and opioid use disorder, and their continuation during the perioperative period is generally recommended, to reduce the risk of opioid withdrawal, relapse, or inadequately controlled pain. Additionally, both may be initiated safely and effectively for acute pain management during and after the operating room period.

A Look Forward and a Look Back: The Growing Role of ERAS Protocols in Orthopedic Surgery.

The success of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs in general surgery are widely recognized. ERAS guidelines have now been developed in orthopedics with the following recommendations. Preoperatively, patients should be medically optimized with a focus on smoking cessation, education, and anxiety reduction. Intraoperatively, using multimodal and regional therapies like neuraxial anesthesia and peripheral nerve blocks facilitates same-day discharge. Postoperatively, early nutrition with appropriate thromboprophylaxis and early mobilization are essential. As the evidence of their improvement in patient outcomes and satisfaction continues, these pathways will prove invaluable in optimizing patient care in orthopedics.

Chest Wall and Abdominal Blocks for Thoracic and Abdominal Surgeries: A Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date description and overview of the rapidly growing literature pertaining to techniques and clinical applications of chest wall and abdominal fascial plane blocks in managing perioperative pain. RECENT FINDINGS: Clinical evidence suggests that regional anesthesia blocks, including fascial plane blocks, such as pectoralis, serratus, erector spinae, transversus abdominis, and quadratus lumborum blocks, are effective in providing analgesia for various surgical procedures and have more desirable side effect profile when compared to traditional neuraxial techniques. They offer advantages such as reduced opioid consumption, improved pain control, and decreased opioid-related side effects. Further research is needed to establish optimal techniques and indications for these blocks. Presently, they are a vital instrument in a gamut of multimodal analgesia options, especially when there are contraindications to neuraxial or para-neuraxial procedures. Ultimately, clinical judgment and provider skill set determine which blocks-alone or in combination-should be offered to any patient.

The Acute Perioperative Pain Service: Impact, Organization, and Future Directions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The Acute Perioperative Pain Service has been established as a relatively new but important concept and service in clinical patient care. Many surgical institutions have dedicated inpatient acute pain services with variable compositions. This review aims to investigate the purpose, clinical and economic implications, and future direction of the Acute Perioperative Pain Service (APPS). RECENT FINDINGS: There is growing evidence of the multiple benefits of a dedicated APPS, especially pertaining to patients at higher risk of poorly controlled postoperative pain. Healthcare providers furthermore realize the importance of the perioperative pain management continuity of care, consisting of preoperative pain evaluations and post-discharge follow-up in an outpatient pain management setting, in coordination with the primary teams. The Transitional Pain Service (TPS) has emerged as the next step in this evolution and has been successfully implemented at various medical centers. With the growing number of surgical procedures and the increasing complexity of the patient population, effective management of acute postoperative pain continues to be challenging, despite ongoing advances in clinical care, analgesic modalities, and research. The APPS is becoming the clinical standard of care for managing postoperative pain, and its role continues to expand worldwide.

Blood Conservation Techniques and Strategies in Orthopedic Anesthesia Practice.

Orthopedic surgery procedures involving joint arthroplasty, complex spine, long bone and pelvis procedure, and trauma and oncological cases can be associated with a high risk of bleeding and need for blood transfusion, making efforts to optimize patient care and reduce blood loss very important. Patient blood management programs incorporate efforts to optimize preoperative anemia, develop transfusion protocols and restrictive hemoglobin triggers, advance surgical and anesthesia practice, and use antifibrinolytic therapies. Perioperative management of anticoagulant therapies, a multidisciplinary decision-making task, weighs in risks and benefits of thromboembolic risk and surgical bleeding and is patient- and surgery-specific.

A Look Forward and a Look Back: The Growing Role of ERAS Protocols in Orthopedic Surgery.

The success of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs in general surgery are widely recognized. ERAS guidelines have now been developed in orthopedics with the following recommendations. Preoperatively, patients should be medically optimized with a focus on smoking cessation, education, and anxiety reduction. Intraoperatively, using multimodal and regional therapies like neuraxial anesthesia and peripheral nerve blocks facilitates same-day discharge. Postoperatively, early nutrition with appropriate thromboprophylaxis and early mobilization are essential. As the evidence of their improvement in patient outcomes and satisfaction continues, these pathways will prove invaluable in optimizing patient care in orthopedics.

Chest Wall Nerve Blocks for Cardiothoracic, Breast Surgery, and Rib-Related Pain.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Perioperative analgesia in patients undergoing chest wall procedures such as cardiothoracic and breast surgeries or analgesia for rib fracture trauma can be challenging due to several factors: the procedures are more invasive, the chest wall innervation is complex, and the patient population may have multiple comorbidities increasing their susceptibility to the well-defined pain and opioid-related side effects. These procedures also carry a higher risk of persistent pain after surgery and chronic opioid use making the analgesia goals even more important. RECENT FINDINGS: With advances in ultrasonography and clinical research, regional anesthesia techniques have been improving and newer ones with more applications have emerged over the last decade. Currently in cardiothoracic procedures, para-neuraxial and chest wall blocks have been utilized with success to supplement or substitute systemic analgesia, traditionally relying on opioids or thoracic epidural analgesia. In breast surgeries, paravertebral blocks, serratus anterior plane blocks, and pectoral nerve blocks have been shown to be effective in providing pain control, while minimizing opioid use and related side effects. Rib fracture regional analgesia options have also expanded and continue to improve.  Advances in regional anesthesia have tremendously improved multimodal analgesia and contributed to enhanced recovery after surgery protocols. This review provides the latest summary on the use and efficacy of chest wall blocks in cardiothoracic and breast surgery, as well as rib fracture-related pain and persistent postsurgical pain.

A Comprehensive Review of Analgesia and Pain Modalities in Hip Fracture Pathogenesis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hip fracture is common in the elderly population, painful and costly. The present investigation was undertaken to review epidemiology, socio-economic and medical implications, relevant anatomy, and anesthetic and pain modalities of hip fracture. RECENT FINDINGS: A literature search of PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Cochrane databases was conducted in December 2018 to identify relevant published clinical trials, review articles, and meta-analyses studies related to anesthetic and pain modalities of hip fracture. The acute pain management in these situations is often challenging. Common issues associated with morbidity and mortality include patients' physiological decrease in function, medical comorbidities, and cognitive impairment, which all can confound and complicate pain assessment and treatment. Perioperative multidisciplinary and multimodal approaches require medical, surgical, and anesthesiology teams employing adequate preoperative optimization. Reduction in pain and disability utilizing opioid and non-opioid therapies, regional anesthesia, patient-tailored anesthetic approach, and delirium prevention strategies seems to ensure best outcomes.

Thoracic Paravertebral Block, Multimodal Analgesia, and Monitored Anesthesia Care for Breast Cancer Surgery in Primary Lateral Sclerosis.

Objective. Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a rare idiopathic neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper motor neurons and characterized by spasticity, muscle weakness, and bulbar involvement. It can sometimes mimic early stage of more common and fatal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Surgical patients with a history of neurodegenerative disorders, including PLS, may be at increased risk for general anesthesia related ventilatory depression and postoperative respiratory complications, abnormal response to muscle relaxants, and sensitivity to opioids, sedatives, and local anesthetics. We present a case of a patient with PLS and recent diagnosis of breast cancer who underwent a simple mastectomy surgery uneventfully under an ultrasound guided thoracic paravertebral block, multimodal analgesia, and monitored anesthesia care. Patient reported minimal to no pain or discomfort in the postoperative period and received no opioids for pain management before being discharged home. In patients with PLS, thoracic paravertebral block and multimodal analgesia can provide reliable anesthesia and effective analgesia for breast surgery with avoidance of potential risks associated with general anesthesia, muscle paralysis, and opioid use.

Anesthetic Implications for Tracheal Injury During Bronchoscopy-Guided Percutaneous Dilational Tracheostomy.

Bronchoscopic-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy has become one of the most common elective tracheostomy methods for patients requiring prolonged ventilatory support. The safety profile, patient selection, and risks as well as complication management, when compared with an open surgical technique, remain somewhat controversial with no clear recommendations. We present a case of a critically ill patient undergoing percutaneous dilation tracheostomy complicated by tracheal wall injury and airway loss. The airway was successfully conservatively managed as well as the tracheal injury. Anesthetic implications, safety, and management options as well as recommendations are reviewed.

Anesthetic evaluation and perioperative management in a patient with new onset mediastinal mass syndrome presenting for emergency surgery.

Mediastinal mass syndrome (MMS) is a complex case that poses many challenges to the anesthesiologist. The cornerstone of management focuses on the potential hemodynamic changes associated with this syndrome. We describe the anesthetic management of a patient with a previously undiagnosed mediastinal mass presenting for emergency neurosurgical surgery.