Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Received: 13 October 2024     Accepted: 30 October 2024     Published: 22 November 2024
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Abstract

Background: The rapidly acting opioid fentanyl, commonly used in the perioperative setting, has traditionally been packaged in 100 or 250-μg vials. In September 2021, our institution implemented a change from fentanyl 100-μg vials to 50-μg preloaded syringes in our operating rooms. The objective of this study was aimed at assessing the association of the fentanyl product change on reducing medication waste and the amount of fentanyl administered during surgery. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study entailed a review of anesthesia records from September 2020 to September 2022 of adult patients who underwent general anesthesia and received fentanyl for surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The data set was divided into a control period (CP) using 100-μg vials and a post transition period (PT) using 50-μg preloaded syringes. The primary outcome measures were the average amounts of fentanyl used and wasted per case. Secondary outcome measures consisted of intraoperative analgesic use as well as postoperative pain scores. Results: Among the 33,405 cases included in this study, the mean amount of fentanyl used per surgical case was higher in the CP group than in the PT group (133μg vs. 102μg; p<0.001). Additionally, fentanyl waste occurred in a higher percentage of cases in the CP group than in the PT group (13.9% vs. 2.9%; p<0.001). We did not observe a significant difference in post-anesthesia care unit pain scores between the CP and PT groups. Conclusion: Transitioning to preloaded fentanyl syringes decreased medication waste and overuse of opioids intraoperatively. Simultaneously, the transition did not adversely affect patient analgesia in the post-anesthesia care unit.

Published in International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine (Volume 12, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18
Page(s) 109-115
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Opioids, Waste, Medication Vial Size, Preloaded Syringe, Analgesia

References
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[2] Durand, M., Castelli, C., Roux-Marson, C. et al. Evaluating the costs of adverse drug events in hospitalized patients: a systematic review. Health Econ Rev. 2024; 14(11).
[3] Maclean, J. C., Mallatt, J., Ruhm, C. J., & Simon, K. (2022). The Opioid Crisis, Health, Healthcare, and Crime: A Review of Quasi-Experimental Economic Studies. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 703(1), 15-49.
[4] Paul AK, Smith CM, Rahmatullah M, et al. Opioid Analgesia and Opioid-Induced Adverse Effects: A Review. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Oct 27; 14(11): 1091.
[5] Long DR, Lihn AL, Friedrich S, et al. Association between intraoperative opioid administration and 30-day readmission: a pre-specified analysis of registry data from a healthcare network in New England. Br J Anaesth. 2018; 120(5): 1090–102.
[6] Hertig J, Jarrell K, Arora P, et al. A continuous observation workflow time study to assess intravenous push waste. Hosp Pharm. 2021; 56(5): 584–91.
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[9] Bahreini M, Safaie A, Mirfazaelian H, Jalili M. How much change in pain score does really matter to patients? Am J Emerg Med. 2020; 38(8): 1641–6.
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[11] Redaelli S, Suleiman A, von Wedel D, et al. Intraoperative opioid waste and association of intraoperative opioid dose with postoperative adverse outcomes: a hospital registry study. Pain Ther. 2024; 13(2): 211–25.
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[15] Stone A, Fields K, Rathmell J, et al. Association between fentanyl vial size and dose given: an interrupted time series analysis of intraoperative opioid administration. Br J Anaesth. 2020; 124(6): e219–21.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Huang, H., Lai, E., Bhavsar, S., Miller, B., Chung, J., et al. (2024). Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study. International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine, 12(2), 109-115. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18

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    ACS Style

    Huang, H.; Lai, E.; Bhavsar, S.; Miller, B.; Chung, J., et al. Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study. Int. J. Anesth. Clin. Med. 2024, 12(2), 109-115. doi: 10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18

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    AMA Style

    Huang H, Lai E, Bhavsar S, Miller B, Chung J, et al. Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study. Int J Anesth Clin Med. 2024;12(2):109-115. doi: 10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18,
      author = {Huang Huang and Emily Lai and Shreyas Bhavsar and Brian Miller and Jovelle Chung and Bradly Phillips and Lei Feng and Jose Miguel Soliz and Jessica Brown},
      title = {Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study
    },
      journal = {International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine},
      volume = {12},
      number = {2},
      pages = {109-115},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijacm.20241202.18},
      abstract = {Background: The rapidly acting opioid fentanyl, commonly used in the perioperative setting, has traditionally been packaged in 100 or 250-μg vials. In September 2021, our institution implemented a change from fentanyl 100-μg vials to 50-μg preloaded syringes in our operating rooms. The objective of this study was aimed at assessing the association of the fentanyl product change on reducing medication waste and the amount of fentanyl administered during surgery. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study entailed a review of anesthesia records from September 2020 to September 2022 of adult patients who underwent general anesthesia and received fentanyl for surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The data set was divided into a control period (CP) using 100-μg vials and a post transition period (PT) using 50-μg preloaded syringes. The primary outcome measures were the average amounts of fentanyl used and wasted per case. Secondary outcome measures consisted of intraoperative analgesic use as well as postoperative pain scores. Results: Among the 33,405 cases included in this study, the mean amount of fentanyl used per surgical case was higher in the CP group than in the PT group (133μg vs. 102μg; p<0.001). Additionally, fentanyl waste occurred in a higher percentage of cases in the CP group than in the PT group (13.9% vs. 2.9%; p<0.001). We did not observe a significant difference in post-anesthesia care unit pain scores between the CP and PT groups. Conclusion: Transitioning to preloaded fentanyl syringes decreased medication waste and overuse of opioids intraoperatively. Simultaneously, the transition did not adversely affect patient analgesia in the post-anesthesia care unit.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Comparison of Intraoperative Fentanyl Usage and Waste After Transition from 100-μg Vials to 50-μg Preloaded Syringes: A Single-Center Retrospective Study
    
    AU  - Huang Huang
    AU  - Emily Lai
    AU  - Shreyas Bhavsar
    AU  - Brian Miller
    AU  - Jovelle Chung
    AU  - Bradly Phillips
    AU  - Lei Feng
    AU  - Jose Miguel Soliz
    AU  - Jessica Brown
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18
    T2  - International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine
    JF  - International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine
    JO  - International Journal of Anesthesia and Clinical Medicine
    SP  - 109
    EP  - 115
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2997-2698
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijacm.20241202.18
    AB  - Background: The rapidly acting opioid fentanyl, commonly used in the perioperative setting, has traditionally been packaged in 100 or 250-μg vials. In September 2021, our institution implemented a change from fentanyl 100-μg vials to 50-μg preloaded syringes in our operating rooms. The objective of this study was aimed at assessing the association of the fentanyl product change on reducing medication waste and the amount of fentanyl administered during surgery. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study entailed a review of anesthesia records from September 2020 to September 2022 of adult patients who underwent general anesthesia and received fentanyl for surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The data set was divided into a control period (CP) using 100-μg vials and a post transition period (PT) using 50-μg preloaded syringes. The primary outcome measures were the average amounts of fentanyl used and wasted per case. Secondary outcome measures consisted of intraoperative analgesic use as well as postoperative pain scores. Results: Among the 33,405 cases included in this study, the mean amount of fentanyl used per surgical case was higher in the CP group than in the PT group (133μg vs. 102μg; p<0.001). Additionally, fentanyl waste occurred in a higher percentage of cases in the CP group than in the PT group (13.9% vs. 2.9%; p<0.001). We did not observe a significant difference in post-anesthesia care unit pain scores between the CP and PT groups. Conclusion: Transitioning to preloaded fentanyl syringes decreased medication waste and overuse of opioids intraoperatively. Simultaneously, the transition did not adversely affect patient analgesia in the post-anesthesia care unit.
    
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Pharmacy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Pharmacy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

  • Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

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