Patrickl Purdon News Today

Because of the opioid crisis, physicians are less likely to administer opioids to help manage patients' pain, even in the operating room.

A recent analysis in JAMA Surgery that was conducted by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of Mass General Brigham, indicates that overly restricting use of opioids during surgery may be doing more harm than good.

In the past four years, the state has seen opioid overdose deaths among Black Virginians more than triple — the highest death rate, by far, of any demographic.

The numbers underscore the lethality of a fentanyl-polluted drug supply, as well as structural barriers to entering recovery — a critical first step in preventing fatal overdose.

In the past four years, Virginia has seen more than triple the Black opioid overdose deaths — the highest death rate, by far, of any demographic.

In the past four years, Virginia has seen more than triple the Black opioid overdose deaths — the highest death rate, by far, of any demographic.

Fentanyl exposure produces specific EEG signatures in the brain. The findings also revealed the drug impairs people's breathing four minutes before noticeable changes in alertness.

Fentanyl is used to supplement sedation and to relieve severe pain during and after surgery, but it's also one of the deadliest drugs of the opioid epidemic.

Researchers have learned that fentanyl produces a specific EEG signature, which could allow clinicians to monitor its effects to enable safer, more personalized administration during and after surgery.