Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct;46(5):1220-1225.
doi: 10.1111/jcpt.13382. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

The problem of postoperative respiratory depression

John F Peppin  1   2 , Joseph V Pergolizzi Jr  3   4   5 , Tong J Gan  6 , Robert B Raffa  3   4   7   8
Affiliations

The problem of postoperative respiratory depression

John F Peppin et al. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

What is known and objective: Postsurgical recovery is influenced by multiple pre-, intra- and perioperative pharmacotherapeutic interventions, including the administration of medications that can induce respiratory depression postoperatively. We present a succinct overview of the topic, including the nature and magnitude of the problem, contributing factors, current limited options, and potential novel therapeutic approach.

Comment: Pre-, intra- and perioperative medications are commonly administered for anxiety, anaesthesia, muscle relaxation and pain relief among other reasons. Several of the medications alone or in joint-action can be additive or synergistic producing respiratory depression. Given the large number of surgical procedures that are performed each year, even a small percentage of postoperative respiratory complications translates into a large number of affected patients.

What is new and conclusion: Due to the large number of surgeries performed each year, and the variety of medications used before, during, and after surgery, the occurrence of postoperative respiratory depression is surprisingly common. It is a significant medical problem and burden on hospital resources. There is a need for new strategies to prevent and treat the acute and collateral problems associated with postoperative respiratory depression.

Keywords: FTR; PACU; PODC; postoperative; respiratory depression; surgical complications.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Weiser TG, Regenbogen SE, Thompson KD, et al. An estimation of the global volume of surgery: a modelling strategy based on available data. Lancet. 2008;372:139-144.
    1. BusinessWire (2019). The outpatient surgical procedures market in the United States, 2019-2023 - expected to grow from ~129 million procedures in 2018 to ~144 million procedures by 2023. https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8wfsxk/the_outpatient?w=4, Accessed Jan 1, 2021.
    1. Meara JG, Leather AJ, Hagander L, et al. Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare, and economic development. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2015;213:338-340.
    1. Eikermann M, Santer P, Ramachandran SK, Pandit J. Recent advances in understanding and managing postoperative respiratory problems. F1000Research. 2019;8:197.
    1. McPherson K, Stephens R. Postoperative respiratory complications. Br J Hosp Med (Lond). 2016;77:C60-C64.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources