Narcotic

SEATTLE — Surgical fixation of unstable, chest wall flail injuries may not decrease patient pain, shortness of breath or use of narcotic pain medication compared with nonoperative treatment, according to data presented here.

SAN DIEGO — Pediatric patients used significantly fewer narcotic doses after common orthopedic surgeries than the quantities prescribed, according to results presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

A 4-month, multimodal protocol of patient-specific preoperative education and unsupervised postoperative rehabilitation “dramatically reduced” patients’ narcotic use, therapy needs and length of stay following total knee arthroplasty.

CHICAGO — Preoperative opioid exposure was linked with significant perioperative consequences and postoperative complications in patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery, according to a presenter at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Annual Meeting.

CHICAGO — At the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Annual Meeting, a presenter said there was significant decrease and cessation in narcotic consumption seen after percutaneous foot and ankle surgery with a multimodal program of analgesia compared with published reports of consumption after open procedures.

About 4 to 5 years ago, surgeons at OrthoCarolina recognized that patients were misusing opioid medications prescribed after a procedure. As a way to address this problem, OrthoCarolina implemented guidelines for providers that outlined an appropriate approach to narcotic prescribing.

After Mohs micrographic surgery, patients report adequate pain control in 97% of all 8-hour increments based on pain diary results, indicating appropriate pain management overall after surgery, according to findings published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

In patients who underwent elective spine surgery, no significant correlation was seen between preoperative narcotic use and perioperative adverse outcomes or hospitalization satisfaction scores, according to recently published results.