AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Announces Presentation of a Large Cohort of Complex Plastic Surgery Procedures Performed with DSUVIA at Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2022

The study of 324 complex plastic surgery procedures demonstrated many benefits of using DSUVIA for analgesia, including avoiding the need for general anesthesia

HAYWARD, Calif., Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACRX), (AcelRx), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for use in medically supervised settings, today announced that an abstract, entitled, "Experience in Complex Outpatient Plastic Surgery Procedures Using Sufentanil Sublingual Tablets" was presented on Friday, October 28th by Jeffrey DeWeese, M.D., FACS, at Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2022, held October 27-30, in Boston, MA. The study, conducted in 324 patients undergoing complex plastic surgery procedures, found many positive benefits of using sufentanil sublingual tablets (SST), 30 mcg (brand name DSUVIA®), including the ability to perform complex, extensive cosmetic procedures without general anesthesia, allowing a rapid discharge time.

This "awake" surgery analysis was a prospective, single-group cohort that were 95% female and ranged in age from 15 to 81 years. The study was conducted at Precision M.D. Cosmetic Surgery Center in Elk Grove, CA. Procedures included liposuction, breast augmentation, breast reduction, brachioplasty, facelift, rhinoplasty, and blepharoplasty, and most significantly, abdominoplasty, which is usually only performed under general anesthesia. Many combination procedures were also undertaken. Patients were administered 1 to 3 mg of oral lorazepam for anxiolysis/sedation and an IV was placed for antibiotic and preemptive antiemetic treatment only. A sufentanil sublingual tablet (SST) 30 mcg (DSUVIA®) was administered sublingually, followed by injection of local and/or tumescent anesthesia. Surgery was initiated 20 to 30 minutes after local anesthetic administration, allowing time for the sufentanil plasma concentrations to approach peak levels. Additional SST doses were then given as needed, with a minimum of 60 minutes between dosing. Median tablet use per procedure was 2 tablets of SST 30 mcg. Additional sedatives or antiemetic drugs were rarely required. Breakthrough discomfort or anxiety for patients was managed by inhaled 50% nitrous oxide, but this was rarely necessary. No unstable vital signs were reported and naloxone was not required by any patient for respiratory depression. Complications included shortening or modifying the procedure due to discomfort on rare occasions. Patient recovery time in the center averaged 19 minutes.

The study found that implementing the use of SST in this surgical center resulted in the ability to successfully perform complex, longer duration procedures without general anesthesia or intravenous (IV) opioids. The investigator also found that the absence of cognitive impairment after extended awake surgery allowed for an easier and more rapid discharge than usual compared to their typical experience when the same procedures are performed under general anesthesia.