Abstract
Chronic back pain affects a significant number of adults worldwide, and spine surgery may be a helpful intervention. However, postoperative pain following major spine surgery is a recurrent problem that can lead to negative outcomes including increased morbidity, higher likelihood of adverse cardiovascular events, impaired quality of life, and prolonged opioid requirements. Often, pain in this population is managed perioperatively with short-acting opioids like fentanyl, hydromorphone, and morphine. This was the case for a 62-year-old, 96 kg male who presented for a multi-level laminectomy and fusion. He was given fentanyl 100 mcg IV upon induction, treated with an additional fentanyl 200 mcg IV throughout the anesthetic, and was given both hydromorphone and fentanyl postoperatively during his stay in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). His pain returned each time, requiring further doses. This patient’s experience and increased opioid requirements inspired the clinical question, which seeks to determine whether the addition of intravenous methadone may have improved his symptoms, his quality of life, and his opioid requirements.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
DNP Capstone Project
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Case Study/Series
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Chronic Pain, Methadone, Spine Surgery, Opioid Consumption
Advisor
Terri M. Cahoon
Degree
DNP
Degree Grantor
Samford University
Degree Year
2025
Recommended Citation
Moreland, Rebecca L. and Cahoon, Terri M., "Perioperative Methadone for Major Spine Surgery" (2025). Group: Samford University Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing. 191.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/samford/191
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Full Text of Presentation
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