Perioperative Opioid Management Strategies: Do They Make a Difference in Long-Term Health Outcomes?

ASO Author Reflections: Long-term Health Outcomes of New Persistent Opioid Use After Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery

“…4 In the preoperative setting, patients should be screened for NPOU risk factors, and if opioids are prescribed, there is a need for close monitoring. 5,6 Additionally, surgical pain may be managed through multimodal analgesia, with a focus on nonopioid medications, such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, gabapentin, and ketamine. 5 Moreover, there is a need for opioid stewardship programs that focus on OPEN ACCESS This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.…”

“…5,6 Additionally, surgical pain may be managed through multimodal analgesia, with a focus on nonopioid medications, such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, gabapentin, and ketamine. 5 Moreover, there is a need for opioid stewardship programs that focus on OPEN ACCESS This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material.…”

Long-term Health Outcomes of New Persistent Opioid Use After Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery

“…39 Moreover, in the postoperative period, surgical pain may be managed through multimodal analgesia, with a focus on non-opioid medications such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentin, and ketamine. [40][41][42] In fact, a combination of nonopioid analgesics can provide equivalent pain relief among patients with cancer. 43 Furthermore, Razi et al 44 reported that an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol was beneficial in reducing inpatient opioid requirements and the subsequent development of NPOU among patients with lung cancer.…”

“…45 In general, preventing morbidity and mortality associated NPOU requires a multifaceted approach. 40 This approach should encompass cancer-specific opioid prescription guidelines, multimodal analgesia, frequent monitoring, increased awareness among patients regarding opioids, and health care provider education. 40 The current study should be interpreted considering several limitations.…”

“…40 This approach should encompass cancer-specific opioid prescription guidelines, multimodal analgesia, frequent monitoring, increased awareness among patients regarding opioids, and health care provider education. 40 The current study should be interpreted considering several limitations. The use of a large national database in the study was a notable strength.…”