ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2026
Does Liposomal Bupivacaine Reduce Postoperative Opioid Use in Tissue Expander Based Breast Reconstruction?
Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPostoperative opioid use for pain management in breast reconstruction can lead to significant side effects. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, including regional anesthetic blocks, aim to reduce opioid consumption. Exparel, a liposomal bupivacaine, offers prolonged pain relief compared to traditional Marcaine.
methodsA retrospective study was conducted on 163 patients who underwent breast reconstruction from January 2019 to June 2022. Patients received either Marcaine or Exparel as part of their regional anesthesia. Opioid prescriptions were tracked and converted to morphine equivalent doses (MED).
resultsPatients who received Exparel consumed significantly fewer opioids (97.21 ± 81.77 MED) compared to those who received Marcaine (160.53 ± 150.58 MED). The Exparel group also had fewer total opioid prescriptions (1.35 vs. 1.90). No significant differences were found based on breast reconstruction type.
conclusionExparel significantly reduces postoperative opioid use compared to Marcaine in breast reconstruction, potentially improving recovery and reducing opioid-related risks. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Indexed as
Identifiers
41420658What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.