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Review
. 2017 Jun;126(6):1180-1186.
doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000001633.

To Stop or Not, That Is the Question: Acute Pain Management for the Patient on Chronic Buprenorphine

T Anthony Anderson  1 , Aurora N A Quaye, E Nalan Ward, Timothy E Wilens, Paul E Hilliard, Chad M Brummett
Affiliations
Review

To Stop or Not, That Is the Question: Acute Pain Management for the Patient on Chronic Buprenorphine

T Anthony Anderson et al. Anesthesiology. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

The management of acute perioperative pain in patients on chronic buprenorphine as opioid maintenance therapy is a complex process. We describe pain management approaches for patients on buprenorphine who present for elective and urgent/emergent surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Suggestions are outlined for patients presenting for elective surgeries taking buprenorphine. NSAIDs = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. #Transdermal buprenorphine need not be discontinued prior to elective surgery regardless of dose.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Suggestions are outlined for patients presenting for urgent and emergent surgeries taking buprenorphine. APS = Acute Pain Service; ATC = acetaminophen around the clock; ICU = intensive care unit; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; PCA = patient-controlled analgesia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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