Opioid-Free Anesthesia Versus Opioid-Based Anesthesia for Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

This meta-analysis compared OA with opioid-free anesthesia in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and ensured that regional anesthesia techniques were similar in both groups.

Compared to OA, opioid-free anesthesia reduces the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting but showed no significant difference in other clinical outcomes.

opioid-free anesthesia may become an important part of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, especially in patients at high risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting.