Pro-Con Debate: Opioids and Perioperative Organ Injury-Friend or Foe?

Abstract

In this pro-con, we discuss the topic of opioids and organ protection. With the recent shift in providing opioid-sparing surgeries, it is imperative to understand whether opioids, administered routinely for surgeries over the past several decades, provide an added benefit of organ protection. This is an area of debate, as the possible benefits of opioid-mediated organ protection must be carefully weighed against the potential drawbacks of acute opioid administration, such as immunosuppression, hyperalgesia, and constipation.