they improve mobility.
They help subdue the
spike in pain that
patients typically experi-
ence when they try to
engage in any sort of
physical activities.
• They're easy to use and
completely under your control.
They let you get a potent
non-opioid analgesic on
board before surgery
and/or immediately after, without having to worry about whether a
given patient can swallow pills.
• They're fast-acting. They work better than oral agents, delivering a
more rapid onset of pain control.
• They offer flexibility. You can administer them at the beginning of the
case, or keep them in reserve to use instead of opioids in the recovery
room. (Or you can do both.)
• They're safer than opioids. By potentially helping to reduce (or even
eliminate) the need for opioids, they're also likely to reduce (or elimi-
nate) common nuisance opioid-related side effects, like nausea and
vomiting, as well as more serious side effects, like respiratory depres-
sion.
When to use them
When during the perioperative continuum should you administer IV
NSAIDs? That's a matter of clinician preference. The labels don't man-
date when to use them.
Toradol, the oldest of the three, doesn't have an indication for pre-
6 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 1 6
• FINE FOR SPINE Surgeons are increasingly using IV NSAIDs during spine proce-
dures, as previous concerns about their effects on bone healing are allayed.
