all candidate for the procedure,"
he says.
Data suggest the fewer opioids
chronic opioid users are on at the
time of surgery, the better they're
likely to recover from it. The idea
is to use cryo as a means of help-
ing chronic opioid users reduce
their consumption in the months
or weeks leading up to their pro-
cedures.
While research to support the benefits this promising pain relief
technique is lacking, Dr. Hutchins likes what he's seeing so far from
patients receiving cryo treatments. "They're coming to their one-
month follow-up appointments and seem to be in less pain and they're
using fewer opioids," he says.
Comfort measures
You owe it to your patients to use the latest proven technologies to
treat pain. Not doing so can have major consequences. "Some
research suggests poorly controlled acute pain increases the likeli-
hood that patients could develop chronic post-operative pain, which
could become a lifelong issue," says Dr. Hutchins.
That's the last thing any patient expects when they undergo an elec-
tive procedure meant to improve their overall health. In the end, as
technologies like pain monitors, infusion pumps and cryoanalgesia find
their way into standard pain management protocols, patients will bene-
fit the most.
OSM
2 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 2 0
The relief cryoanalgesia
can provide allows
patients to better
prepare for their
upcoming joint
replacement surgery.
— Jacob Hutchins, MD, MHA
