While general anesthesia or IV sedatives may insulate a patient from conscious sensation and memory of a procedure, the body continues to respond to painful surgical stimulation. Traditionally, opioids (fentanyl, morphine) were used during general anesthesia to treat this surgical stress and acute pain.
A 2018 article in the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia and Pain Medicine showed that patients who did not receive opioids during IV anesthesia, had less post-operative pain, demanded less opioids during recovery and had less adverse post-operative events (less nausea or vomiting, less cold and shivering, higher oxygen saturation levels and higher overall recovery scores). Other studies have shown that chronic use of exogenous opioids (prescription opioids) can actually inhibit your body’s natural production of opioid-like chemicals (endorphins) that counteract pain!
At Neponset Valley Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, we have been practicing opioid-free anesthesia and sedation for years. You will have a comfortable, balanced general anesthesia experience without discomfort as all patients are also given local anesthetics while sedated. Once recovered, we will have a multimodal and often opioid-sparing plan for your pain management during recovery.
