Degradable polymeric vehicles for postoperative pain management

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 1367
• Main Authors: Brigham, Natasha C., Ji, Ru-Rong, Becker, Matthew L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/61/54/152; 639/301/54; 692/700/565/411; Analgesia; Analgesics - administration & dosage; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Animals; Drug Delivery Systems; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; multidisciplinary; Narcotics; Opioids; Pain; Pain Management; Pain perception; Pain, Postoperative - drug therapy; Perspective; Polymers - chemistry; Postoperative period; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Social Control, Formal
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21438-3

Effective control of pain management has the potential to significantly decrease the need for prescription opioids following a surgical procedure. While extended release products for pain management are available commercially, the implementation of a device that safely and reliably provides extended analgesia and is sufficiently flexible to facilitate a diverse array of release profiles would serve to advance patient comfort, quality of care and compliance following surgical procedures. Herein, we review current polymeric systems that could be utilized in new, controlled post-operative pain management devices and highlight where opportunities for improvement exist. Pain management is an extremely important topic both medically and socio-economically. Here the authors offer an overview of the use of degrading polymeric materials for delivery of pharmaceutical agents for pain management and offer a perspective of the future directions of the field.