Study finds positive results from nonopioid pain regimen after meniscal surgery
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Compared with a traditional opioid regimen, a multimodal, nonnarcotic, pain management protocol provided “equivalent or better” pain control and outcomes following primary meniscectomy or meniscal repair, according to published results.
Toufic R. Jildeh, MD, and colleagues from Henry Ford Hospital and the Mayo Clinic prospectively randomized 61 patients undergoing either primary meniscectomy or meniscal repair to either a nonopioid analgesic protocol (n = 31) and standard opioid regimen (n = 30) for postoperative pain control. According to the study, outcome measures included postoperative pain for 10 days (measured with the VAS), patient-reported outcomes (PROs), complications and patient satisfaction.
Researchers determined the nonopioid protocol demonstrated noninferiority to the opioid regimen, providing “equivalent or better” pain control and outcomes, according to Jildeh. Additionally, they found no significant differences in VAS scores, adverse effects, PROs, complications or satisfaction between the cohorts.
“The responsibility of effectively managing pain while minimizing narcotic usage and maximizing patient satisfaction lies with physicians. Orthopedic surgeons are uniquely positioned to exert a positive effect on the current opioid epidemic,” Jildeh told Healio Orthopedics. “We are conducting studies in many other procedures and are encouraged by the results. As the number of tools to treat pain continues to grow, the historic standard of uniform postoperative narcotic regimens to treat a diverse population of patients are no longer acceptable. I envision a future where a non-narcotic approach to postoperative pain is the standard of care, and pain control is personalized on a patient-by-patient basis,” Jildeh added.
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