The influence of preoperative or intraoperative methadone on postcardiac surgery pain and opioid administration: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Opioid analgesia remains a cornerstone of the management of perioperative pain in cardiac surgical patients. Emerging evidence suggests that intermediate and long-term postoperative opioid dependence is underappreciated and associated with adverse patient outcomes. Methadone has emerged in the cardiothoracic and non-cardiothoracic anesthesia literature as an option that may provide lasting analgesic benefit and may be associated with a reduction in overall perioperative opioid requirements. This study was a systematic literature review and meta-analysis that aimed to provide evidence supporting the use of perioperative or intraoperative methadone in adult cardiac surgical patients, particularly with respect to objective measures of postoperative pain and opioid requirements prior to and at discharge from the hospital. Electronic searches of three research databases were performed: PubMed (1972 to October 2023), Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to October 2023), and EMBASE (1978 to October 2023). This search yielded a total of 190 articles, 7 of which met the relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria. This included five randomized controlled trials and two large retrospective cohort studies. Preoperative or intraoperative methadone led to reduced pain scores at 24 h postoperatively and reduced opioid requirements at discharge. Methadone may be effective at reducing perioperative pain scores and opioid requirements postoperatively, including at discharge. The literature on this subject has important limitations, and further research in larger randomized controlled trials is needed.