2024 COA Annual Meeting: Opioid-Sparing Strategies in Arthroscopic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

21 RCTs including 2,148 patients undergoing shoulder, knee, and hip arthroscopy were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the effectiveness of non-opioid pain management strategies. Outcomes of interest included opioid consumption and pain scores. Overall, the results of the study revealed that nonopioid regimens significantly reduced opioid consumption in the first 24 hours postoperatively (mean difference, −37.02 mg oral morphine equivalents). Pain scores showed no significant difference at any time point. These findings suggest that noninvasive pain management strategies can effectively reduce opioid use post-arthroscopy without compromising pain control.