Opioid-free versus opioid-based anesthesia in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a single-center, randomized, controlled trial

Abstract Background Opioids are commonly used in general anesthesia for pain management. However, they are linked to significant side effects. Patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, particularly those with obesity, are at higher risk of experiencing adverse effects associated with opio...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hanane Barakat, Linda Gholmieh, Jessy Abou Nader, Vanda Yazbeck Karam, Obey Albaini, Mohamad El Helou, Rony Al Nawwar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-02-01
Series:Perioperative Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13741-024-00486-5
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Opioids are commonly used in general anesthesia for pain management. However, they are linked to significant side effects. Patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, particularly those with obesity, are at higher risk of experiencing adverse effects associated with opioids. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative anesthesia options that do not rely on opioids. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) compared to traditional opioid-based anesthesia (OBA) in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Methods This single-center randomized controlled trial included eighty-three patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in a tertiary hospital. Patients were randomly assigned to dexmedetomidine and lidocaine infusion (OFA) or remifentanil (OBA). All patients received intra-operative propofol, sevoflurane, a neuromuscular blocking agent, and ketamine. The primary outcome included opioid consumption during the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Secondary measures included intraoperative hemodynamic stability, time to extubation, PACU stay duration, opioid consumption during the first 48 h, and anti-emetic requirements. Independent samples t-test or Mann–Whitney U test was used to assess for differences across the two groups. Results PACU morphine consumption, total postoperative morphine consumption, anti-emetic requirements up to 48 h after surgery, and pain levels after surgery were not statistically significantly different between OFA and OBA groups. Other variables were not statistically different between the two groups, except for intraoperative anti-hypertensives where more patients in the OFA groups required it. Conclusions Opioid-free anesthesia hasn’t shown an opioid-sparing effect in patients with obesity undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Larger multi-center studies are required to fully establish its effectiveness. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03507634); first trial registration date: 12/04/2018; first posted date: 25/04/2018.
ISSN:2047-0525