Opioid Avoidance In Surgery Through Integrating Suzetrigine: Post-Operative Care Phase Pilot

Traditional postoperative pain management in facial plastic surgery often relies on opioid analgesics. While effective, their use is associated with adverse effects such as constipation, nausea, vomiting, sedation, respiratory depression, and dependency risk. In the context of the ongoing opioid misuse public health crisis, identifying effective non-opioid alternatives is crucial.

Suzetrigine is a first-in-class oral analgesic that selectively inhibits the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.8. These channels are selectively expressed within peripheral pain-sensing neurons and do not have a functional role within the central nervous system (CNS). Unlike opioids, suzetrigine does not cross the blood-brain barrier and avoids CNS side effects such as sedation, respiratory depression, and addiction potential.

In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved suzetrigine for the short-term treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults. Approval was supported by two Phase 3 randomized controlled trials in patients undergoing abdominoplasty (NCT05558410) and bunionectomy (NCT05553366), both standard models for acute postoperative pain. In these studies, suzetrigine demonstrated analgesic efficacy comparable to hydrocodone/acetaminophen, with a faster onset of meaningful pain relief than placebo and a favorable tolerability profile.

Despite this evidence, there is currently no data on the use of suzetrigine in facial plastic surgery. The integration of suzetrigine into postoperative pain management regimens for this population has the potential to reduce opioid prescription patterns and improve patient outcomes. This single-arm feasibility study aims to describe our early experience with suzetrigine and provide preliminary evidence to inform the feasibility and design of future prospective trials.