Journal of Clinical Anesthesia and Practice  ( ISSN : 2995-0813 )

Opioid-Reducing Pain Management in Adult Liver Transplant Recipients

  Puneet Gupta   Richard Fagbemigun   Rafaello Ibrado   Geet Paul   Anita Vincent   Eric R. Heinz

Abstract :

ABSTRACT 

Liver transplants are surgically and medically challenging in the perioperative timeframe. Liver transplant recipients often  have multiple systemic illnesses and comorbidities that contribute to this complexity. Pain management in the perioperative  period is one particular area that is challenging but being increasingly explored. With a growing emphasis on early  extubation and worse outcomes associated with poor pain control, there is a need to identify and better understand which  opioid-reducing pain regimens provide the best analgesia in liver transplant recipients. This has stirred new research on  regional nerve blocks and other non-opioid pain medication regimens. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide a  concise, analytical review of the progress being made in applying regional anesthesia, alternative medicine, and other opioid reducing pain regimens to adult liver transplant recipients. Keywords: Liver recipient; Perioperative pain, Liver transplant; Regional anesthesia; Opioid-reducing.