Studying How Timing of Opioid Use Affects Breathing After Surgery in Adults Undergoing General Anesthesia

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the link between opioid use and respiratory depression in adults who are awake and breathing on their own after general anesthesia. This observational study focuses on patients in the post-anesthesia care unit PACU who receive opioids for pain management. The goal is to understand how opioids affect breathing, especially the reduction in minute ventilation, and to measure the dose-related impact of opioids on respiratory function. Participants will be monitored using a noninvasive respiratory volume monitor ExSpiron that tracks tidal volume, respiratory rate, and minute ventilation every 5 seconds while in the PACU. The study will compare real-time ventilation data to predicted values based on patient size and gender. This continuous monitoring aims to detect respiratory depression early, focusing on changes during the PACU stay, which lasts up to 4 hours. Researchers will record the timing of opioid doses and any respiratory interventions. During the study, participants will have their breathing continuously tracked and data collected daily. Researchers will analyze respiratory metrics, oxygen levels, blood gas measurements, and events like patient positioning or transfers during the PACU stay and up to 30 days afterward. The main outcomes include the frequency of respiratory interventions within 4 hours post-anesthesia and secondary measures such as oxygen saturation, hypercapnia, hypoxia, and blood gas levels. The total participation period can extend through the PACU stay and up to 30 days for follow-up events.

Timing of Opioid Administration and Postoperative Respiratory Depression.