Opioid-induced respiratory depression

BJA Education, vol. 24, pp. 100–106

Abstract

By reading this article you should be able to: •Explain the cardiorespiratory risks of opioids and the physiological mechanisms by which these drugs disrupt ventilatory control. •Define who is at risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression. •Discuss opioid-induced respiratory depression with naloxone and the factors that may complicate reversal in some circumstances. •List the alternatives to naloxone, so called agnostic respiratory stimulants. Simone Jansen MD is a PHD student in the Department of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Centre. She works on studies related to the control of breathing. Professor Albert Dahan MD PhD is an anaesthetist and head of the Anesthesia and Pain Research Unit at Leiden University Medical Centre. His research is focussed on the control of breathing, opioid-induced respiratory depression and reversal of opioid-induced respiratory depression.

Authors 1

1. Albert Dahan Aachen

   Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands