A kid-friendly (and opioid-sparing) scoliosis surgery

Opioids are a necessary part of surgery, but they come with many downsides — addiction risk being the most worrisome. So, when Vishal Sarwahi, MD met a young patient with a history of opioid misuse who needed scoliosis surgery, he knew he had to find another way. On this 20-Minute Health Talk, he shares his pioneering efforts to reduce reliance on opioids in pediatric scoliosis surgery, as well as the technical advances he has brought to the operating room that are making it possible — something he calls the Rapid Recovery Protocol.

 

Dr. Sarwahi is director of Northwell Health's Center for Minimally Invasive Scoliosis Surgery and the Center for Advanced Pediatric Orthopedics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

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