Baltimore—With surgical recovery presenting an opportunity for patients to become dependent on opioids, speakers at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons discussed tips to reduce opioid prescribing and ways to manage pain without opioids in enhanced recovery pathways.
While 90% of patients taken to ORs are opioid-naive, about 6% of those undergoing minor and major procedures who are prescribed opioids for pain management