Lee TS, et al. - In this single-institution retrospective cohort study, researchers contrasted pain control (opioid consumption and postsurgical pain scores) in head and neck (H&N) free flap reconstruction individuals who undergo traditional means of postoperative analgesia including use of opioids vs a novel protocol that involves ketamine and gabapentin. The sample consisted of 86 patients who had H&N free flap reconstruction from 2015 to 2018. Forty-three patients were treated with opioids only in the control cohort, and there were 43 patients in the treatment group. The data presented in this work showed a statistically significant reduction in opioid consumption in each of the first 5 postoperative days ranging from 80% to 83% in the treatment group. Findings suggested that ketamine and gabapentin are safe and effective analgesics in H&N free flap surgery, which in the acute postoperative setting significantly curb opioid use and can improve pain control.