According to the research conducted at the 18th annual perioperative and critical care conference from the society of thoracic surgeons, it has been found that patients of lung surgery require a 4-year period under observation with few numbers opioid prescriptions when discharged.
The main reason behind the research is to spread and increase the awareness role of enhanced recovery after surgery in decreasing opioid uses that may be given during and after surgery. It should reach the ear of health care providers.
Lung Surgery Patients Are At High Risk Of Opioid Dependence
The study was carried out by a group of experts with the help of a number of samples from different regions and medical conditions other than lungs health.
Minimal exposure to opioid prescription during recovery will reduce the long-term dependence again opioids as a long-term prescription will result in divorce and abuse.
Dr. Zorrillavaca and his colleagues collected data sets of patients who had gone through lung resection and after treated with ERAS programmers. With their information, it has been found that ERAS protocol in addition to keeping you comfortable also prescribes certain medication following the operation.
Their counseling includes standardized pain control, patient education, rich carbohydrate drink, fluid management all these steps have to follow before the surgery.
By further studies reveals that from 2016 to 2020 from when the ERAS program has been implemented the opioid prescription rate had reduced from 35% to 25%. That’s quite an interesting thing.
Through this research we came to learn about patients who undergo lung surgery following the ERAS pathway will result in quicker recovery. As they provide better pain control with fewer opioid prescriptions during hospitalization and after discharge also with fewer postoperative troubles have to face.
Over 4 years of study it has been seen there is a gradual downward decreased range of opioid prescriptions, The amount of total opioid prescriptions declined by 51%.
The ERAS program benefitted patients with fewer prescriptions of opioids at hospital discharge which correlate with minimal use of surgical process and lower dependence on opioids during surgery.
Under the ERAS program, there are sets of predestined activities, steps, and procedures framed to meet with the best possible quicker recovery for patients. At very first it was get used in Denmark in the 1990s then after it has incorporated in use in many other surgical centers.
It is important to discuss that in the field of cardiothoracic surgery one must follow an enhanced recovery process. The main goal of an enhanced recovery program is to develop key processes which can benefit the patient throughout his surgical journey.
This research helps us to get a detailed explanation of how this program helps to develop a plan to manage their pain appropriately with minimizing the risk of prescription during surgery and the postoperative process.
If we look over past decades, we see many institutions have adopted ERAS protocol under their program to find no. of ways to improve effort inpatient recovery. However, at the time they use to provide prescriptions with an excessive amount of opioid medication.
In common we have studied from much-unrelated research that opioids are widely overprescribed after a common operation with 92% of patients. This often creates patients with a high risk of becoming dependent or addicted to the prescription.
Dr. Zorrillavaca provided a detailed explanation of opioid medication strategies with guidelines that should be opted under the ERAS program to bring additional improvement in the pain control management process. Mainly it should apply during patient discharge home use medication.
Further studies together with researchers will focus to plan improved outcome reports under the ERAS program.
