This book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview on the use of opioids in the ICU, offering practical, real-world recommendations on opioid utilization and alternative therapies. The text explains the physiology and assessment of pain and the need for analgesia in the ICU, details the pharmacology of opioids and their use in providing analgesia, sedation, and comfort for patients during critical illness, and summarizes advanced pharmaceutical and surgical approaches to pain management and procedural applications that can supplement, minimize, or replace opioids for the ICU patient. The book also includes algorithms and step-by-step approaches on navigating the delicate balance between the relief of suffering and the adverse effects of opioids, as well as a dedicated section on the management of critically ill patients with preexisting opioid tolerance. 

Written by experts in the field, Opioid Use in Critical Care: A Practical Guide is a valuable resource for ICU providers who treat and manage critically ill patients with opioids.

Epidemiology of Opioid Use

Assessment of Pain in the ICU
Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics of Opioids in the ICU
Opioid Analgesics Interactions with other Drugs
Side Effects of Opioid Analgesic Therapy
Rational Selection and Utilization of Opioid Analgesics in Critical/Acute Care
Monitoring of Opioid Analgesic Use and its Effects in Acute Care
Opioid Tolerance and Hyperalgesia in the ICU
Strategies to Prevent and Treat Opioid Tolerance and Hyperalgesia in the ICU, I
Strategies to Prevent and Treat Opioid Tolerance and Hyperalgesia in the ICU, II
Interaction of Opioids with Sedative Practices in the ICU
Acute Pain Management in Patients with Opioid Dependence
Management of Opioid Overdose
Use of Opioid Analgesics in Post-Surgical and Trauma Patients
Post intensive Care Syndrome and the Potential Long-Term Effects of Pain and Opioid Therapy in the ICU
Special ICU Populations: Opioids in Neurocritical Care
Special ICU Populations: Opioids in Geriatrics
Special ICU Populations: Opioids in Obstetrics, Labor & Delivery.