2024/03/08 by Karim S. Ladha, Patricia Lavand’homme · 1 voice
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Anesthesia and Pain Management #Cardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical Outcomes #Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
paper · doi:10.1097/aln.0000000000004898
openalex publication_date 2024/03/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Editorial| April 2024 Unveiling the Uncertainties: Opioid-free Anesthesia and the Road Ahead Karim S. Ladha, M.D., M.Sc.; Karim S. Ladha, M.D., M.Sc. 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Patricia Lavand'homme, M.D., Ph.D. Patricia Lavand'homme, M.D., Ph.D. 2Department of Anaesthesiology and Postoperative Pain Service, Saint-Luc University Hospital, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Author and Article Information Accepted for publication December 27, 2023. This editorial accompanies the article on p. 679. Address correspondence to Dr. Ladha: Anesthesiology April 2024, Vol. 140, 646–647. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000004898 Connected Content Article: Opioid-free Anesthesia Protocol on the Early Quality of Recovery after Major Surgery (SOFA Trial): A Randomized Clinical Trial Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Search Site Citation Karim S. Ladha, Patricia Lavand'homme; Unveiling the Uncertainties: Opioid-free Anesthesia and the Road Ahead. Anesthesiology 2024; 140:646–647 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000004898 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll PublicationsAnesthesiology Search Advanced Search Topics: opioids Opioids are widely considered to be effective analgesics in the perioperative period. However, they are also commonly associated with a myriad of adverse effects that can be detrimental toward a patient's recovery. These prominent adverse effects combined with concerns surrounding the opioid crisis have led anesthesiologists to appropriately question the role and even the need for opioids during the perioperative period and in particular intraoperatively. Under general anesthesia, patients do not experience the required psychologic components of pain and therefore only experience nociception. During surgery, nociception is typically managed using surrogates including hemodynamic variation, respiratory rate changes and patient movement. Given that it is possible to control these markers of nociception through nonopioid medications, the concept of "opioid-free anesthesia" (OFA), in which no opioids are administered intraoperatively, has emerged as a feasible anesthetic technique. However, despite the increasing interest and popularity of OFA over the past two decades, rigorous evidence... You do not currently have access to this content.