Ali Dabbagh - Anesthesiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Samira Rajaei - Immunology Department, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Opium is a derivative of opium poppy; the species of plant which its extract isused for preparing opium. Opium abuse is considered under drug dependencyclassification of psychiatric diseases and opium abusers have a number ofmajor challenges before, during and after anesthesia for surgical operations(i.e. the perioperative period). This article reviews these clinical challengesduring the perioperative period to discuss the new clinical findings for thesepatients and to demonstrate some of the main problems that physicians areencountered.

opium, abuse, anesthesia