At this year's American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) annual meeting, HSS presents new research related to opioid safety and education, investigation of alternative pain management strategies, patient safety, and how COVID-19 has affected orthopedic surgery.

HSS Researchers Find Duloxetine May Reduce Opioid Use and Improve Pain Management After Total Knee Replacement

• Anesthesiologist Jacques Ya Deau, MD, PhD and colleagues investigated using duloxetine after surgery to reduce pain and opioid use. They found that duloxetine, given on the day of surgery and once daily for 14 days afterwards, reduced opioid use by about 30%. Patients receiving duloxetine were also more satisfied with their pain management.

Study Identifies Risk Factors for Pediatric Opioid Dependence After Surgery

• Anesthesiologist Kathryn (Kate) DelPizzo, MD and colleagues identified risk factors for persistent opioid use after surgery in pediatric patients. Understanding risk factors for opioid dependence could help develop strategies to prevent long-term opioid use in this vulnerable population.

Knowledge Gaps on Opioid Use and Pain Relief After Surgery Offer Opportunities for Improving Patient Education

• Anesthesiologist Bradley Lee, MD and colleagues identified gaps in patient knowledge about pain management and opioid use before total hip replacement, including misconceptions about how much pain relief to expect from opioids after surgery, how to use multiple modes of pain relief, and proper opioid storage and disposal. Improving patient education about opioids and pain management could lead to improvements in pain control and functional outcomes after surgery.

Interim Study Results Suggest Oral Tranexamic Acid (TXA) Is Equally Effective as Intravenous TXA in Preventing Blood Loss in Joint Replacement Surgery

• Anesthesiologist Stavros Memstoudis, MD, PhD, MBA and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of oral TXA for joint replacement surgery. Using oral TXA versus intravenous TXA could translate to improvements in efficiency, cost and safety.

HSS Study Examines Hip Fracture Patient Characteristics and Outcomes Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Outbreak

• Anesthesiologist Stavros Memstoudis, MD, PhD, MBA and colleagues sought to compare characteristics and outcomes of hip fracture patients admitted during the COVID-19 outbreak to patients admitted before the outbreak. They also examined characteristics and outcomes of hip fracture patients with and without the virus.