Multimodal analgesia is increasingly becoming the standard of care for total joint arthroplasty. A study in Anesthesiology found nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors were the most effective modalities.
Here are four things to know.
1. The study authors evaluated how the number and type of analgesic modes is associated with reduced opioid prescription, complications and resource utilization.
2. The authors used the Premier Perspective database to assess 512,393 total hip arthroplasties and 1,028,069 total knee arthroplasties performed between 2006 to 2016.
3. Overall, 1,318,165 patients — 85.6 percent —of patients received multimodal analgesia.
4. Total hip arthroplasty patients receiving more than two modes of analgesia as opposed to opioids only experienced:
- 19 percent fewer respiratory complications,
- 26 percent fewer gastrointestinal complications
- Up to a 18.5 percent decrease in opioid prescription
- A 12.1 percent decrease in length of stay
Total knee arthroplasty patients showed similar patterns.
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Orthopedic surgeon to know: Dr. David Dalury of Towson Orthopaedic Associates