Opioid-sparing anesthesia reduces opioid-related adverse events in cardiac surgery

Announcing a new article publication for Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. Mounting evidence indicates that opioid-sparing anesthesia (OSA) decreases opioid-related adverse events. This article examines whether OSA might improve initial recovery after cardiac surgery.

Data from patients who underwent elective heart surgery between July 2023 and July 2024 were analyzed. Eligible patients were divided into an OSA group or a control group. Patients in the OSA group received 0.5 to 1 μg·kg⁻¹ sufentanil and ultrasound-guided nerve block after anesthetic induction, whereas patients in the control group received traditional high-dose opioid management. Patients in both groups were managed with the same sedatives, muscle relaxants, and other drugs. The main outcome was the overall 15-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) survey score 24 hours after surgery.

A total of 1916 patients were scanned, and 1218 patients were included in the analysis: 392 in the OSA group and 826 in the control group. The QoR-15 global score measured 24 hours after surgery was 119.29 ± 3.25 in the OSA group and 113.87 ± 3.44 in the control group (P < 0.001). The OSA group had lower numeric rating scale scores 24 hours and 72 hours after surgery (P < 0.001) than the control group. The median (interquartile range) postoperative mechanical ventilation time was 1.0 (0-5) hours in the OSA group and 8.0 (6-14) hours in the control group (P < 0.001), and the duration of hospitalization was 11.5 (9-14) days and 12 (10-14) days, respectively (P = 0.012).
OSA based on ultrasound-guided nerve blocks significantly improved QoR-15 scores after cardiac surgery and is expected to be a reasonable analgesic protocol to improve the prognosis of cardiac patients.