בשל "הגנת זכויות יוצרים" מובא להלן קישור לתקציר המאמר. לקריאתו בטקסט מלא, אנא פנה/י לספרייה הרפואית הזמינה לך.

Postoperative pain control is essential to optimizing patient outcomes, improving satisfaction, and allowing patients to resume their baseline functional activities.

Methadone, a synthetic mu-opioid agonist, has multiple pharmacologic properties that may be optimal for perioperative use.

Compared to other opioids, methadone has a longer duration of action, rapid onset, extended dosing intervals, high oral bioavailability, low cost, lack of active metabolites, and action on multiple receptors.

The current literature examining the use of methadone in the perioperative care of children and adolescents is limited and most often reported within the context of spine or cardiothoracic surgery.

Overall, these studies support the hypothesis that perioperative methadone in pediatric patients may decrease postoperative pain, opioid consumption, length-of-stay, and the incidence of some opioid-related side effects, like constipation and urinary retention.