Dosing of Methadone for Spine Surgery

Dosing of Methadone for Spine Surgery

This study compares two methods of dosing methadone for complex spine cases

Patients with spine surgery experience a significant amount of pain that can interfere with healing, rehabilitation and contribute to morbidity in the post-operative period. This study will compare post-operative opioid requirement at 24 and 48 hours to determine if methadone given in small aliquots until respiratory depression can act as a self-control to determine the correct dose required.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients must consent to participate and sign the IRB-approved informed consent prior to beginning any study specific procedures.
2. At or between the ages 18 to 75 years.
3. Undergoing multilevel thoracic, thoracolumbar and/or lumbar spine surgery with instrumentation and fusion.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Methadone or buprenorphine use.
2. Morbid obesity with BMI>40 Kg/m2.
3. Chronic renal failure with creatinine>2.0 mg/dL.
4. Liver failure as determined by cirrhosis or history of fulminant hepatic failure.
5. Current or historical alcohol abuse.
6. Current or historical drug abuse.
7. Patients with history of prolonged QTc, as defined as a QTc value >450 ms in males and >460 ms in females.
8. Patients with ASA status IV or V.
9. Surgical diagnosis including spine tumor, infection, or trauma.
10. In the Principal Investigator's opinion is not a candidate for the study.
11. Unwilling to sign the informed consent form.