E
ric Haas, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Houston
Methodist Hospital, swung by the PACU to check on a
patient a little earlier than usual one day. What he saw
stopped him in his tracks. His patient was writhing in
pain.
"Why is this happening?" he asked a PACU nurse.
"What do you mean?" she replied. "This is normal."
"Normal? What do you do now?" he asked.
"We just give more fentanyl and Dilaudid," said the nurse. "By the
time you see them, they look great."
Dr. Haas was incredulous. He began to visit the PACU soon after his
surgeries ended and noticed patient after patient waking up in pain and
nurses routinely loading them up with dose upon dose of opioids. He
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 9
Say Yes to Opioid-Free
Surgery
A hospital eliminated opioids
from surgery and removed
prescription painkillers from
its post-op pain control protocol.
Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
• HOLD THE OPIOIDS Methodist Hospital's opioid-sparing protocol includes regional blocks, local anesthesia, IV NSAIDs and muscle relaxants.
