Announcing the publication of a new article in the Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications journal. A growing body of evidence suggests that opioid-sparing anesthesia (OSA) can reduce adverse events associated with opioids.
This study explores whether OSA might enhance initial recovery after cardiac surgery. Data from patients undergoing elective heart procedures between July 2023 and July 2024 were analyzed. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to an OSA group or a control group.
Patients in the OSA group received a dose of sufentanil ranging from 0.5 to 1 μg·kg −1, followed by ultrasound-guided nerve block after anesthesia induction. In contrast, patients in the control group were managed with traditional high-dose opioid therapy. Both groups were treated similarly with sedatives, muscle relaxants, and other medications.
The primary outcome measured was the overall 15-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-15) survey score taken 24 hours post-surgery. A total of 1916 patients were initially screened, and 1218 were included in the analysis: 392 in the OSA group and 826 in the control group.
Two days after surgery, QoR-15 global scores for the OSA group averaged 119.29 ± 3.25 compared to 113.87 ± 3.44 in the control group (P < 0.001). The OSA group also showed lower numeric rating scale scores at both 24 hours and 72 hours post-surgery (P < 0.001) when compared to the control group.
The median (interquartile range) time spent on mechanical ventilation was significantly shorter for patients in the OSA group—1.0 hour (0-5 hours)—compared to those in the control group—8.0 hours (6-14 hours) (P < 0.001). Similarly, hospital stays were slightly longer for patients in the control group at an average of 12 days compared to approximately 11.5 days for OSA patients (P = 0.012).
OSA, when implemented with ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, significantly improved QoR-15 scores after cardiac surgery and is anticipated to serve as a reasonable analgesic protocol that could improve the prognosis of heart surgery patients.
