Swapping the cornerstone of modern anaesthesia: The impact of person-centered opioid-free anaesthesia on physical and cognitive quality of recovery after surgery compared with opioid-based anaesthesia

Our goal is to determine the impact of opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA) on short and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing obesity surgery.

Increased opioid consumption and opioid-related mortality worldwide is challenging.Due to its documented anaesthetic properties, opioids are one of the cornerstones of modern anaesthesia.

However, opioids are associated with several dose-dependent side-effects; increased postoperative pain, respiratory depression, nausea and bladder/bowel dysfunction.

Furthermore, there is evidence of opioid-induced immunosuppression as well as cognitive and physical impairment after surgery.Patients undergoing bariatric surgery are more vulnerable to opioids than the general population.

Studies have shown an increased risk for persistent opioid consumption, chronic abdominal pain, other opioid-induced side-effects such as nausea. OFA may substitute opioids with other pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatments during surgery. OFA studies show positive effects for pain, nausea and sedation.

Still, we lack evidence on longterm effects on recovery after surgery and QoL and the impact of person-centred care within OFA.This project will determine the effects of OFA with or without person-centred care compared to conventional opioid-based anaesthesia on the quality of recovery after surgery up to 24 months after surgery.To achieve this, we will use data collected during an ongoing national randomised controlled study.