The following is a summary of “Impact of methocarbamol on opioid use after primary ventral and inguinal hernia repair,” published in the December 2023 issue of Surgery by Crosier, et al.
Multimodal analgesia has become a standard approach in perioperative care. For a study, researchers sought to evaluate the impact of adding methocarbamol to opioid use for patients undergoing primary ventral (umbilical and epigastric) hernia repair (PVHR) and inguinal hernia repair (IHR).
A retrospective review was conducted on patients undergoing PVHR and IHR who received methocarbamol. They were propensity scores matched in a 2:1 ratio to patients not receiving methocarbamol.
About 52 PVHR patients receiving methocarbamol were matched to 104 control patients. Study patients had fewer opioid prescriptions (55.8% vs. 90.4%; P < 0.001) and received lower morphine milligram equivalents (MME) (20 vs. 50; P< 0.001), with no difference in refills or rescue opioids. For IHR, study patients had fewer prescriptions (67.3% vs. 87.5%; P < 0.001) and received lower MME (25 vs. 40; P < 0.001), with no difference in rescue opioids (5.9% vs. 0%; P = 0.374).
The addition of methocarbamol significantly reduced opioid prescribing in patients undergoing PVHR and IHR without increasing the risk of refill or rescue opioid requirements.
Reference: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(23)00277-5/abstract