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Review
. 2022 Jan 13:15:123-135.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S231774. eCollection 2022.

Postoperative Pain Management in Enhanced Recovery Pathways

Christopher K Cheung  1 , Janet O Adeola  1 , Sascha S Beutler  1 , Richard D Urman  1
Affiliations
Review

Postoperative Pain Management in Enhanced Recovery Pathways

Christopher K Cheung et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

Postoperative pain is a common but often inadequately treated condition. Enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs) are increasingly being utilized to standardize perioperative care and improve outcomes. ERPs employ multimodal postoperative pain management strategies that minimize opioid use and promote recovery. While traditional opioid medications continue to play an important role in the treatment of postoperative pain, ERPs also rely on a wide range of non-opioid pharmacologic therapies as well as regional anesthesia techniques to manage pain in the postoperative setting. The evidence for the use of these interventions continues to evolve rapidly given the increasing focus on enhanced postoperative recovery. This article reviews the current evidence and knowledge gaps pertaining to commonly utilized modalities for postoperative pain management in ERPs.

Keywords: ERAS; enhanced recovery after surgery; multimodal analgesia; opioid-sparing analgesia; pain management; postsurgical pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

Richard D. Urman reports funding/fees from Heron, Merck, Medtronic/Covidien, Pfizer, AcelRx. He is vice president of the ERAS USA Society. Other authors report no conflicts of interest.

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