Effectiveness and Safety of Transdermal Buprenorphine for Acute Postoperative Pain Management Following Mandibular Resection: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background Managing postoperative pain after mandibular excision and reconstruction remains challenging, and using conventional opioid medications has a risk of side effects. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the transdermal buprenorphine patch in managing postoperative acute pain following mandibular resection and reconstruction in a real-world clinical setting. Methodology A prospective, observational study was conducted, involving 108 patients who underwent mandibular resection or reconstruction between January and December 2023. Following surgery, participants received transdermal buprenorphine patches, and the visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure pain severity at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after application. Additionally, documented were adverse effects, the usage of rescue analgesia, and patient satisfaction. The data was examined using paired t-tests. Results The average VAS pain score before surgery was 7.83 ± 1.27, however, it dropped dramatically to 5.24 ± 1.35 after six hours, 4.18 ± 1.28 at 12 hours, 3.07 ± 1.10 at 24 hours, and 2.23 ± 1.05 at 48 hours. Nausea (9.26%) and dizziness (5.56%) were the most frequent side effects, with 74.07% of patients reporting no negative symptoms. 70.37% of patients did not need any rescue analgesics, and 85.19% of patients expressed satisfaction or high satisfaction with the way their pain was managed. Significant pain reductions were seen at all time periods using paired t-tests (p < 0.001). Conclusion The transdermal buprenorphine patch is a safe and effective alternative for managing acute postoperative pain following mandibular surgery.