Magnesium Sulfate as an Anesthesia Adjunct: Establishing Opportunities for Enhancing Outcomes of Care

Abstract

Magnesium sulfate can be utilized as an analgesic adjunct for patients undergoing surgery. It can lead to decreased postoperative pain scores, improved patient outcomes, better perioperative care, and it can curb the current opioid crisis. When administered as an analgesic adjunct, the sole reliance on opioids to manage perioperative pain is reduced therefore the associated adverse effects of opioids are also minimized. Magnesium Sulfate effectively provides pain relief for a multitude of different surgical populations, is relatively easy to administer, and is inexpensive. It works as an analgesic by noncompetitively blocking NMDA receptors as well as acting as a calcium channel blocker. A formal educational webinar was provided to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) that are members of the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists (MANA). The purpose of the webinar was to inform providers of the mechanism of action, efficacy, and benefits of intravenous magnesium sulfate as an opioid sparing analgesic adjunct in select surgical scenarios. A post-webinar evaluation was distributed to webinar attendees and their respective responses were evaluated. Overall, CRNAs responded positively and provided comments that the webinar was extremely informational permitted a greater understanding of the benefits to enhance patient care outcomes.