Opioid prescribing after breast surgery: A systematic review of guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in opioid-sparing analgesia, opioid prescribing in breast surgery remains suboptimal. Besides delayed rehabilitation, excess post-operative opioids may contribute significantly to opioid dependence. This systematic review of guidelines evaluates current opioid-prescribing recommendations after breast surgery to identify trends in prescribing. Additionally, it compares recommendations on different non-opioid and non-pharmacological adjuncts. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched systematically using terms "breast surgery", "analgesia", "opioid" and "guidelines". The grey literature was used to supplement the search. All articles that provided guidance on opioid prescribing in breast surgery were included. Quality of the guidelines were assessed using the AGREE II tool. Recommendations pertaining to opioid prescribing, analgesic adjuncts and non-pharmacological interventions were summarised and reported with descriptive statistics. RESULT: Eight guidelines pertaining to mastectomies, breast conserving surgery and breast reconstructions were included in this review. Although an opioid-sparing approach was unanimous, there were conflicting recommendations on opioid doses. Opioid requirements were stratified by procedure in 3 guidelines, and by patient risk factors in 2 guidelines. There was significant variability in the recommended multimodal adjuncts. Notably, non-pharmacological interventions such as patient education were infrequently included in guidelines. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of high-quality guidance on opioid prescribing after breast surgery. The optimum approach for personalised opioid prescribing remains unknown. Significant variability between guidelines provide little actionable interventions for prescribers. This could be driven by the paucity in evidence supporting a single efficacious analgesic regimen for patients undergoing breast surgery. Future guidelines should also regularly incorporate non-pharmacological adjuncts to reduce opioid prescribing.

The Value of Isosulfan Blue Dye in Addition to Isotope Scanning in the Identification of the Sentinel Lymph Node in Breast Cancer Patients With a Positive Lymphoscintigraphy: A Randomized Controlled Trial (ISRCTN98849733).

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become the gold standard for axillary staging. Debate remains as to the optimal method of SLN detection. OBJECTIVES: Determine whether patients undergoing an SLNB required the addition of isosulfan blue dye to radioisotope when an SLN was identified on a preoperative lymphoscintigram. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing the combination of radioisotope and blue dye versus radioisotope alone was performed between March 2010 and September 2012. The trial protocol was registered with Current Controlled Trials. Women with clinically and radiologically node-negative breast cancer with a positive preoperative lymphoscintigram were eligible for inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 667 patients were included in the analysis with 342 patients receiving the combination (blue dye and radioisotope) and 325 patients receiving radioisotope alone. The groups were evenly matched both demographically and pathologically. The mean age was 48 years (48.3 vs 47.7 years; P = 0.47), the mean tumour size was 24.2 mm (24.3 mm vs 24.1 mm; P = 0.7) and there was no statistically significant difference in the grade of the tumors between the 2 groups (P = 0.58). There was no difference in the identification rate, nor was that in the number of nodes retrieved between the 2 groups (P = 0.30). There was no difference in the number of positive lymph nodes that were identified between the 2 groups (23.8% vs 22.1%; P = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: This study failed to demonstrate an advantage with the addition of isosulfan blue dye to radioisotope in the identification of the SLN in the presence of a positive preoperative lymphoscintigram.

Delayed gastropleural fistula: a rare cause of a persistent pleural effusion after blunt force trauma.

A gastropleural fistula (GPF) is a rare pathological connection between the stomach and pleural cavity. Diagnosis and treatment are frequently delayed due to the lack of specific clinical, laboratory and radiological findings. We describe a case of a 53-year-old gentleman who presented to our institution with respiratory sepsis and a massive haemopneumothorax on imaging. Uniquely, he was discharged a week prior after a splenectomy for a traumatic fall. Gut flora in the pleural fluid and a subsequent positive dye test suggested an aero-digestive connection. Repeat imaging revealed a fistula between stomach and the left pleural cavity through a ruptured diaphragm. He underwent an open sleeve gastrectomy and primary repair of the diaphragm. This is the first GPF in literature presenting in such a fashion. Although rare, a persistent effusion with a history of blunt thoracoabdominal trauma may herald a GPF, which, if not diagnosed promptly, may result in significant morbidity.