No-Pain, No-Opioid: safer anesthesia option found for abdominal surgery

This study tested whether using no opioids during abdominal surgery works as well as standard opioid-based anesthesia. 42 adults having elective abdominal surgery were randomly assigned to receive either opioid-free anesthesia (using a mix of ketamine, lidocaine, and dexmedetomidine) or opioid-based anesthesia (using fentanyl). The results showed that both methods controlled pain equally well during surgery, but the opioid-free group had significantly less nausea and vomiting after surgery. This suggests that opioid-free anesthesia is a safe and effective alternative that reduces common side effects.