REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1662818
Opioid-free anesthesia in enhanced recovery after surgery for gastrointestinal surgery: current status, challenges, and prospects
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First Clinical Medical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China
- 2First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China
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The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol has been increasing implementation in gastrointestinal surgeries to optimize perioperative management, mitigate surgical stress responses, and accelerate patient recovery. Although opioid-based anesthesia effectively alleviates pain, it is associated with significant adverse effects, including postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), respiratory depression, and intestinal paralysis, which can impeder early recovery. Opioid-free anesthesia (OFA) is designed to alleviate these concerns. This article examines the pharmacological agents and regional block techniques commonly employed in OFA, emphasizing its role in promoting the recovery of gastrointestinal function, improving pain management, reducing adverse events, and enhancing patient satisfaction.
Keywords: Opioids, Opioid-free anesthesia, Enhanced recovery after gastrointestinal surgery, Laparoscopic surgical, Abdominal surgery analgesia
Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 03 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Zhong and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shihong Li, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.