New Research on Reducing Postoperative Pain and Opioid Use
Understanding Opioids and Their Risks
Opioids are a category of medications that interact with opioid receptors in the body, serving various therapeutic roles such as pain relief, cough control, diarrhea treatment, and aiding in addiction recovery when used appropriately. Despite their benefits, opioids pose significant risks. As depressants, they can decelerate multiple bodily functions, including respiration. Misuse or concurrent use with other depressants can lead to fatal respiratory failure. Additionally, the pleasurable effects associated with opioids, such as euphoria and pain relief, contribute to their addictive potential.
The global opioid overdose crisis highlights the need for careful management of opioid prescriptions, which may help mitigate the misuse of these drugs. Following surgeries, opioids are commonly prescribed to alleviate postoperative pain as the effects of general anesthesia subside.
The Role of Subconscious Stimuli in Pain Management
Recent insights suggest that patients under general anesthesia may still perceive subconscious stimuli. New research is exploring whether these stimuli can help alleviate the psychological experience of postoperative pain. A study conducted in Germany and published in the British Medical Journal aimed to investigate this concept.
Study Design and Findings
The study involved 385 patients across five hospitals in Germany, all undergoing surgeries lasting between one and three hours under general anesthesia. The intervention group, comprising 191 patients, listened to an audio tape featuring 20 minutes of music and positive affirmations, followed by ten minutes of silence. In contrast, the control group of 194 patients listened to a blank tape.
Post-surgery, all participants received patient-controlled doses of opioids for pain management, with nurses administering variable doses based on the patients’ self-reported pain levels on a scale of one to ten. The results indicated that the intervention group reported an average 25 percent reduction in pain scores compared to the control group in the first 24 hours following surgery. Additionally, the experimental group required lower doses of opioids during this period.
Implications and Future Research
These findings suggest that incorporating music and positive stimuli during surgery may effectively reduce postoperative pain and the associated need for opioid medications. However, further research is necessary to assess the clinical significance of these results and explore their potential in decreasing opioid reliance after surgery.
References
– Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2012). Retrieved December 19, 2020, from https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/prescription-opioids
– EurekAlert (2020 December 10). The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved December 19, 2020, from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/b-swa120920.php
– Nowak, H., Zech, N., Asmussen, S., et al. (2020). Effect of therapeutic suggestions during general anaesthesia on postoperative pain and opioid use: multicentre randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 2020(371). doi: 10.1136/bmj.m4284
– Volkow, N.D., Medina-Mora, M.E., Poznyak, V., et al. (2019). Addressing the opioid crisis globally. World Psychiatry, 18(2):231-232. doi: 10.1002/wps.20633