Use of Postoperative Opioid Therapy Following Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: There are no established guidelines on periprocedural and postprocedural pain management after endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). This study aimed to determine the need for perioperative and postoperative opioid therapy in patients undergoing ESG. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised consecutive patients undergoing ESG. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients requiring postoperative outpatient opioid therapy. Secondary outcomes included frequency and dosage of perioperative pain medications and postoperative pain scores. RESULTS: Of the 67 patients included, 39 (58.2%) required opioids in the perioperative setting. The mean ± SD opioid dose was 12.3 ± 8.4 morphine milligram equivalents. Postoperatively, 17.9% of patients required home opioid prescriptions. More than a third of patients reported no pain. DISCUSSION: In patients undergoing ESG, postoperative opioid therapy should be individualized to attenuate opioid overprescription and the risk of opioid overuse.