Novel Techniques and Local Anesthetics for Perioperative Pain Management

Abstract

Careful perioperative pain management is crucial for good patient outcomes after surgery, as poorly controlled pain interferes with the ability of patients to recover to normal baseline function and increases postoperative morbidity and mortality. Although opioids have been the mainstay for treating postoperative pain, there has been a shift in favor of a multimodal analgesic approach, including regional anesthesia, as a way to circumvent opioid-related adverse events (e.g. nausea and vomiting, respiratory depression, sedation). In this chapter, we present an update on several recently developed regional anesthetic techniques, local anesthetic medications, as well as nerve block adjuncts with the potential to improve pain management in the perioperative setting. With more future studies, these novel methods may be incorporated into postsurgical recovery protocols and provide the opportunity to improve patient outcomes.