Multimodal oral analgesia strategy after ambulatory arthroscopic shoulder surgery: case series using adaptive therapeutic approaches by sequential analysis

Multimodal pain management and postoperative outcomes in inpatient and outpatient shoulder arthroplasties: a population-based study

INTRODUCTION

Multimodal analgesia has been associated with reduced opioid utilization, opioid-related complications, and improved recovery in various orthopedic surgeries; however, large sample size data is lacking for shoulder surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective review using the Premier Healthcare Database of patients who underwent inpatient or outpatient (reverse, total, partial) shoulder arthroplasty from 2010 to 2019. Opioid-only analgesia was compared with multimodal analgesia, categorized into 1, 2, or >2 additional analgesic modes, with/without a nerve block. Multivariable regression models measured associations between multimodal analgesia and opioid charges (in oral morphine equivalents (OME)), cost and length of stay, and opioid-related adverse effects (approximated by naloxone use). We report % change and 95% CIs.

RESULTS

Among 176 225 procedures, 169 679 (75.7% multimodal analgesia use) and 6546 (37.8% multimodal analgesia use) were inpatient and outpatient shoulder arthroplasties, respectively. Among inpatients, multimodal analgesia (>2 modes) without a nerve block (vs opioid-only analgesia) was associated with adjusted reductions in OMEs on postoperative day 1: -19.4% (95% CI -21.2% to -17.6%/representing unadjusted median OME reductions from 45 to 30 mg). For total hospitalization, this was -6.0% (95% CI -7.2% to -4.9%/representing unadjusted median OME reductions from 173 to 135 mg). Conversely, for outpatients, this was +13.7% change in OMEs (95% CI +4.4% to +23.0%/representing unadjusted median OME increases from 110 to 131 mg). In both settings, addition of a nerve block to multimodal analgesia attenuated effects in terms of opioid charges.

CONCLUSIONS

Multimodal analgesia is associated with reductions in opioid charges-specifically inpatient setting-but not various other outcomes.

Effect of Intravenous Dexamethasone Dose on the Occurrence of Rebound Pain after Axillary Plexus Block in Ambulatory Surgery

Rebound pain (RP) remains a challenge in ambulatory surgery, characterized by severe pain upon resolution of a peripheral nerve block (PNB). Intravenous (IV) administration of Dexamethasone (DEXA) potentiates PNB analgesic effect and reduces RP incidence although preventive effective dose remains undetermined. This retrospective analysis evaluates the preventive effect of IV DEXA on RP in outpatients undergoing upper limb surgery under axillary block. DEXA was divided into high (HD > 0.1 mg/kg) or low (LD < 0.1 mg/kg) doses. RP was defined as severe pain (NRS ≥ 7/10) within 24 h of PNB resolution. DEXA HD and LD patients were matched with control patients without DEXA (n = 55) from a previous randomized controlled study. Records of 118 DEXA patients were analyzed (DEXA dose ranged from 0.05 to 0.12 mg/kg). Intraoperative IV DEXA was associated with a significant reduction of the pain felt when PNB wore off as well as to a significant reduction of RP incidence (n = 27/118, 23% vs. 47% in controls, p = 0.002) with no effect related to the dose administered (p = 0.053). Our results support the administration of intraoperative DEXA as a preventive measure to reduce the occurrence of RP.