Opioids not better at reducing pain-related function than nonopioids
Editor's Note Opioids were no better than nonopioid medications at improving pain that interfered with activities such as walking, work, and sleep in patients with moderate to severe chronic back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis pain, in this study. In 240 patients who were followed for 12 months, the…
Multimodal pain management reduces opioid use, complications after total joints
Editor's Note Using a multimodal approach to pain management was associated with decreased opioid use, opioid prescriptions, and opioid complications in total joint replacement patients in this study. Of 512,393 hip replacement and 1,028,069 knee replacement patients analyzed, multimodal pain management techniques were used in 85.6% during surgery, on the…
Johns Hopkins allowing animal-assisted therapy in ICU
Editor's Note Bringing specially trained dogs into ICUs can safely and substantially ease patients' physical and emotional pain, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. Having seen how successful animal-assisted therapy was in the inpatient rehabilitation unit at Johns Hopkins, the researchers adapted the hospital’s protocol to safely bring dogs to ICU…
Visual cues help PACU staff avoid medication errors
Concern about opioid abuse has reached epic proportions in recent months, and healthcare providers have come under increasing pressure to help mitigate the problem. Curbing the tendency to overprescribe pain medications is considered the first, most obvious step, but there are other actions that can also improve patient safety. Nurse…
Education brochure helps surgical patients improve opioid disposal
Editor's Note Dissemination of low-cost patient education brochures improved disposal of unused opioids after surgery, this study finds. The study involved 334 patients−164 who did not receive the brochure and 170 who did receive it. Patients who received the brochure informing them of appropriate methods for disposal were twice as…
Total joint patients using fewer opioids to manage postop pain
Editor's Note Opioid use in total hip and knee patients decreased by one-third between 2006 and 2014, which reflects success in the use of a multimodal approach (ie, opioids plus additional pain management methods, such as peripheral nerve blocks and acetaminophen) to pain management, finds this study presented October 21…
Bariatric surgery patients at risk for new prolonged opioid use
Editor's Note Bariatric surgery patients have a much higher rate of newly persistent postoperative opioid use than general surgery patients, finds this study presented October 23 at the American College of Surgeons 2017 Clinical Congress in San Diego. Of 14,063 bariatric surgery patients in the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative who…
Opioid-free general anesthesia reduces postop nausea
Editor's Note Eliminating opioids from general anesthesia is safe and effective and significantly decreases postoperative nausea, finds this study presented October 23 at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting in Boston. Of 1,009 patients who received general anesthesia without opioids, only 11% experienced postoperative nausea--typically 50% to 80% of patients have…
Patients overestimate postop pain they will experience
Editor's Note Patients significantly overestimate the amount of pain they will experience after surgery, which can cause unnecessary anxiety, finds a study presented October 21 at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting in Boston. A total of 223 patients completed a questionnaire before and after surgery to evaluate the level of…
Joint Commission issues R3 Report on pain assessment and management standards for hospitals
Editor's Note The Joint Commission has issued a new R3 Report to help accredited hospitals better understand and comply with its new and revised pain management standards, which are effective January 1, 2018. This R3 Report provides in-depth rationale, references, and evidence used in the development of the new and…
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