Transitioning to Opioid-free Anesthesia for Pediatric Supracondylar Fracture Repairs: A Patient Safety Report.

Abstract

Introduction: Supracondylar fractures are among the most common injuries in the pediatric population. Recently, there has been increased interest in developing opioid-free anesthetic protocols that achieve these same goals without the risks associated with opioid use, such as postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), delayed discharges, and respiratory depression.

Methods: Seattle Children's Hospital implemented opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) for pediatric supracondylar fracture repairs in January 2021. This patient safety report compares the clinical outcomes of these patients to those who received intraoperative opioids. Clinical effectiveness was measured using the maximum pain scores in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), postoperative opioid rescue rates in PACU and PONV rescue rate. PACU length of stay (LOS) was chosen as a clinical balancing measure.

Results: The opioid group (n = 464) had a mean maximum pain score of 3.39 compared with the OFA group (n = 816), which had a mean maximum of 3.70. The PACU IV opioid rescue rate for the opioid group was 38.82%, whereas the OFA group was 38.73%. The opioid group had a PONV rescue rate of 1.53%, compared with 0.23% in the OFA group. Mean LOS in the PACU was 79 minutes for the opioid group and 86 minutes for the OFA group.

Conclusions: The shift to OFA for intraoperative management of patients' supracondylar fracture repair resulted in similar postoperative analgesic outcomes when compared with an opioid-based approach, with a reduced PONV rate and minimal increase in LOS. Transitioning to OFA provided a safe and effective protocol for supracondylar repairs.