J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 7
T
hose who
accuse
surgery
of fan-
ning the
flames of the opioid
epidemic point to mis-
guided efforts to mask
virtually all post-op
pain and discomfort
by writing prescrip-
tions for too many
heavy-duty opioids.
Thankfully, surgical
professionals are shift-
ing from this single-
minded focus to a
multimodal approach
to pain management
that keeps patients as
comfortable as possi-
ble during their recoveries, all the while shielding them from depend-
ence and addiction.
"There was a heavy push to use opioids as the only means of provid-
ing pain control," says Stavros Memtsoudis, MD, PhD, MBA, of the
department of anesthesiology, critical care and pain management at
the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. "Once opioids were
Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
Multimodal Analgesia Is a Must
Attacking pain's many pathways is the key to reducing opioid use.
• DOUBLING UP Combining nerve blocks and local infusions of anesthetics with
non-opioid therapies effectively manages post-op pain, even for the most complex
procedures.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
