by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | June 16, 2015
What this tells us is that narcotics alone don’t do the trick. This is problematic because, in addition to decreasing patient satisfaction, ineffective pain management after surgery has the potential to lead to poor wound healing, insomnia, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism or other conditions. It also could be a risk factor for the development of chronic pain.
DOTmed News: What are the benefits of administering non-narcotic nerve blocks to manage post-operative pain?
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VK: It’s a well-known fact that narcotics—which can prompt opioid dependency and often cause negative side effects like nausea and dizziness—are often relied on for pain management after orthopedic procedures. But, the truth is, there are better ways to treat post-operative pain.
The study findings show that patients treated with a multimodal approach involving non-opioid treatments in conjunction with narcotics are more likely to experience better pain management with fewer side effects than patients given narcotics alone. I have found that treatments that target the site of the nerve related to the procedure, like those administered through ON-Q, significantly reduce the amount of narcotics needed for days one and two in the post-operative period by up to 50 percent.
Using this type of site-specific pump enables us to be more responsive to patient needs. With my patients, for example, I’m able to modulate treatment dosage, turn the pump off for certain periods of time and decrease the rate of the pump to transition to other medications. Non-narcotic treatments, such as nerve blocks/continuous infusions, also enable patients to get up on their feet faster and recover at home, improving patient outcomes and accelerating the healing process.
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