British Journal of Hospital Medicine (BJHM) is published by IMR Press from Volume 87 Issue 1 (2026). Previous articles were published by another publisher under the hybrid model (CC-BY-NC license or on a subscription basis), and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement.
How should postoperative pain in patients on long-term opioids be managed?
Catherine James 1, John E Williams 1
Affiliation
Article Info
1 Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, London SW3 6JJ
Abstract
Management of patients on long-term opioids (LTOs) with acute or postoperative pain presents a number of problems. Such patients will need higher doses of opioids postoperatively than the general population; they are also more likely to need surgery. Managing the challenge of acute pain control in this group requires being able to identify which patients are at risk, and understanding the physiological basis for the problems that may arise from LTO dependence.