Opioid-Free versus Opioid-Sparing Anesthesia for Postoperative Pain and Early Recovery After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Journal of pain research January 1, 2025 Miaomiao Xiong, Yao Liu, Yingsi Liang et al. 6 citations
Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is noninferior to opioid-sparing anesthesia (OSA) for managing pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and it leads to faster bowel recovery. In a randomized controlled trial with 81 adults, pain scores over 36 hours were similar between groups (area under the curve 7.3 for OFA vs. 6.9 for OSA; the difference was 0.384, below the noninferiority threshold of 1.0). Although early pain in the first 12 hours after PACU discharge was slightly higher with OFA, overall pain control was sufficient in both groups. Bowel recovery occurred sooner with OFA (13.8 vs. 15.5 hours). Other outcomes, including hemodynamics and patient satisfaction, were comparable.