Methadone Reduces Postoperative Pain in Complex Spine Surgery Patients

Perioperative treatment with a single bolus of methadone improves postoperative pain control for patients undergoing complex spine surgery, according to a study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

According to the study, patients undergoing complex spine surgery often experience severe pain in the postoperative period. The study looked at 29 patients undergoing multilevel thoracolumbar spine surgery with instrumentation and fusion and randomized the patients to receive either methadone or another treatment. Postoperative analgesia was provided using IV opioids by patient-controlled analgesia.

Patients were assessed with respect to pain scores, cumulative opioid requirement, and side effects at 24, 48 and 72 hours after surgery. Results showed methadone reduced postoperative opioid requirement by approximately 50 percent at 48 hours after surgery, and pain scores were lower by approximately 50 percent in the methadone group 48 hours after surgery.

Read the abstract on the study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

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