analgesia

Liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel) is a local anesthetic touted for the long duration of its activity. Molecules of bupivacaine are encapsulated within  multivesicular liposomes composed of endogenous lipids like cholesterol and phospholipids; these liposomes undergo...

Celecoxib (Celebrex) is an oral, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). This class of medications typically inhibits two major isozymes: COX-1 (responsible for platelet aggregation, kidney perfusion, and gastrointestinal mucosa protection) and COX-2 (produced as a...

Fentanyl (Sublimaze) is the most common synthetic narcotic I administer in the OR and the ICU. It is ~100x more potent than morphine and associated with many of the same side effects as other...

Ketorolac (Toradol) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) I use as an analgesic adjunct in the OR and ICU. In some anesthesia texts, a single dose of IV ketorolac is said to confer analgesia...

Ketamine (Ketalar) is my FAVORITE medication in perioperative and critical care medicine! It's a unique dissociative amnestic, an almost complete anesthetic in itself, has tremendous versatility in terms of routes of administration (IV, IM, oral,...

Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen (Ofirmev) is a prime example of how multimodal analgesia can be augmented in the perioperative and ICU settings; however, just as with all things, cost drives availability. Literature has emerged trying...

Methadone (Dolophine) is a narcotic best known for providing a safe albeit slow recovery from opioid addiction (even in pregnancy) by replacing more traditional opioids like oxycodone, fentanyl, hydromorphone, and even heroin as part...

Sufentanil (Sufenta) is the most powerful narcotic (~1000x more potent than morphine) approved for use in humans. In fact, it's so potent and has such a strong affinity for mu-opioid receptors that I routinely...