EXPERTS’ OPINION   Free access

Minerva Anestesiologica 2022 April;88(4):300-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0375-9393.21.15937-1

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Opioid use, misuse, and abuse: a narrative review about interventions to reduce opioid consumption and related adverse events in the perioperative setting

Daniel D. KIM ^{1, 2}, Maria F. RAMIREZ ^{1, 2}, Juan P. CATA ^{1, 2} ✉

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA; ² Anesthesiology and Surgical Oncology Research Group, Houston, TX, USA

Opioids remain the most potent and predictable drug available for perioperative analgesia and moderate-to-severe cancer-related pain. However, their efficacy has been questioned in other clinical settings. Moreover, opioids are associated with a wide variety of dose-dependent adverse events, limiting their use. The indiscriminate prescription of opioids has fueled the so-called “opioid epidemic” in the United States and other developed countries. Thus, there has been a significant effort to develop strategies to curtail their unnecessary prescription. Here, we summarize the history, current trends, and new directions in perioperative opioid prescription in an unbiased manner.

KEY WORDS: Opioid analgesics; Drug-related side effects and adverse reactions; Drug misuse; Substance-related disorders