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50th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting
May 1 - 3, 2025 | Orlando, Florida
6807
MEDETOMIDINE: IS THIS OUR NEXT PERIOPERATIVE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CONCERN?
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Scientific Abstracts > Acute Pain
INTRODUCTION
•Medetomidine is a potent alpha-2 adrenergic agonist approved for veterinary use possessing both sedative and pain-relieving properties.
•Medetomidine is a racemic mixture with two enantiomers: dexmedetomidine, the active form, and levomedetomidine and exerts its effect by binding to a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) found in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
•The emergence of medetomidine as a novel adulterant in the U.S. illicit drug supply signals a troubling development in the escalating polysubstance crisis.
•Synergistic effects with opioids pose significant concerns for acute pain physicians and anesthesiologists due to its profound sedative, and cardiorespiratory effects.
•Medetomidine has been linked to overdose, and hospitalizations in Maryland, Missouri, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California, and more recently fatalities have surged in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.
•Medetomidine can exacerbate cardiopulmonary conditions in patients with preexisting diseases such as obstructive lung disease, coronary artery disease and heart failure.