Buprenorphine management in the perioperative period: educational review and recommendations from a multisociety expert panel.

BACKGROUND: The past two decades have witnessed an epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) in the USA, resulting in catastrophic loss of life secondary to opioid overdoses. Medication treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD) is effective, yet barriers to care continue to result in a large proportion of untreated individuals. Optimal analgesia can be obtained in patients with MOUD within the perioperative period. Anesthesiologists and pain physicians can recommend and consider initiating MOUD in patients with suspected OUD at the point of care; this can serve as a bridge to comprehensive treatment and ultimately save lives. METHODS: The Board of Directors of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Academy of Pain Medicine, American Society of Addiction Medicine and American Society of Health System Pharmacists approved the creation of a Multisociety Working Group on Opioid Use Disorder, representing the fields of pain medicine, addiction, and pharmacy health sciences. An extensive literature search was performed by members of the working group. Multiple study types were included and reviewed for quality. A modified Delphi process was used to assess the literature and expert opinion for each topic, with 100% consensus being achieved on the statements and each recommendation. The consensus statements were then graded by the committee members using the United States Preventive Services Task Force grading of evidence guidelines. In addition to the consensus recommendations, a narrative overview of buprenorphine, including pharmacology and legal statutes, was performed. RESULTS: Two core topics were identified for the development of recommendations with >75% consensus as the goal for consensus; however, the working group achieved 100% consensus on both topics. Specific topics included (1) providing recommendations to aid physicians in the management of patients receiving buprenorphine for MOUD in the perioperative setting and (2) providing recommendations to aid physicians in the initiation of buprenorphine in patients with suspected OUD in the perioperative setting. CONCLUSIONS: To decrease the risk of OUD recurrence, buprenorphine should not be routinely discontinued in the perioperative setting. Buprenorphine can be initiated in untreated patients with OUD and acute pain in the perioperative setting to decrease the risk of opioid recurrence and death from overdose.

Review of the adaptations in opioid agonist treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Focus on buprenorphine-based treatment.

BACKGROUND: Availability and access to opioid agonist treatment (OAT) are limited despite its evidence of effectiveness in treating opioid use disorders (OUDs). COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently exacerbated the problems of restricted access to OAT and, at the same time, has increased odds of harm due to opioid use. OBJECTIVES: We examined (a) adaptations conceived or implemented in the buprenorphine (BPN)-based OAT service delivery at the national, regional, or local level during the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) the impact of such transformations on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of service delivery. We focused exclusively on BPN-based OAT. METHODS: We carried out a systematic electronic database search in PubMed and Google Scholar. We included all types of articles. Additionally, we looked up relevant websites of international and national government agencies working in the field of drug abuse. RESULTS: We included 21 articles from 10 countries in the review and summarized the results in a narrative format. The majority of literature was from developed countries. We observed changes in the BPN initiation, dosing, and dispensing protocols, and particular emphasis on telemedicine. There was limited literature on service provisions for the vulnerable population. The changing modes of service delivery have possibly increased the number of new patients and reduced the risk of exposure owing to limited in-person contact. CONCLUSION: Newer adaptations to meet with the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic in the BPN-based OAT delivery tend to be innovative, flexible, and patient centered. Although it is too early to comment on these newer adaptations' impact, the outcome's directions appear to be positive.

[Recommendations about the Use of Psychotropic Medications during the COVID-19 Pandemic]. / Recomendações sobre a Utilização de Fármacos Psicotrópicos durante a Pandemia COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic is a particularly relevant threat to mentally ill patients, and it constitutes a new challenge for health care providers. To the best of our knowledge, there is not any embracing published review about the use of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Non-systematic literature review. A search in the PubMed database was performed, with the terms 'psychotropic drugs', 'COVID-19', 'psychiatry' and 'pandemic'. Consensus and clinical guidelines about psychotropic drugs and COVID-19 approach, published by scientific societies, governmental entities and drug regulatory agencies were included. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We present the recommendations about the use of psychotropic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The treatment of affective bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have now added increased difficulties. Some psychotropic drugs interfere with the pathophysiology of the novel coronavirus infection and they could interact with the drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19. Some patients will need pharmacological interventions due to the presence of delirium. Smoking cessation changes the serum levels of some psychotropic drugs and may influence their use. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges in clinical practice. Psychiatric patients are a vulnerable population and often a careful clinical, laboratorial and electrocardiographic evaluation may be needed, particularly in those diagnosed with COVID-19. The regular treatment of mentally ill patients with COVID-19 presents increased complexity.

Introdução: A pandemia de COVID-19 constitui uma ameaça particularmente relevante para os portadores de doença mental e um novo desafio para os profissionais que os acompanham. Até à data, tanto quanto sabemos, não existe qualquer revisão abrangente publicada relativamente à utilização de fármacos psicotrópicos durante a pandemia COVID-19. Material e Métodos: Revisão não sistemática da literatura. A pesquisa na PubMed foi realizada com os termos 'psychotropic drugs', 'COVID-19', 'psychiatry' e 'pandemic'. Foram incluídos os consensos e as normas publicadas pelas sociedades científicas, entidades governamentais e agências regulamentares de medicamentos. Resultados e Discussão: Apresentam-se recomendações relativamente à utilização de psicofármacos durante a pandemia COVID-19, em contexto de ambulatório e de internamento. O tratamento da perturbação afetiva bipolar e da esquizofrenia tem agora dificuldades acrescidas. Alguns psicofármacos interferem com os mecanismos fisiopatológicos envolvidos na infeção pelo novo coronavírus e têm interações com os fármacos utilizados no tratamento da COVID-19. Em doentes com COVID-19 e com delirium, a utilização de psicofármacos poderá ser necessária. A cessação tabágica altera os níveis séricos de alguns psicofármacos e pode condicionar a sua utilização. Conclusão: A pandemia de COVID-19 coloca novos desafios na prática clínica. Os doentes psiquiátricos constituem uma população vulnerável, sendo frequentemente necessária uma avaliação clínica, laboratorial e eletrocardiográfica cuidadosa, naqueles com o diagnóstico de COVID-19. Os doentes mentais com COVID-19 apresentam uma complexidade acrescida na gestão da sua terapêutica habitual.