Articles: opioid.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Feb 2023
Prevalence and Outcomes of Opioid Use Disorder in Pediatric Surgical Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Chronic opioid use among adolescents is a leading preventable public health problem in the United States. Consequently, a sizable proportion of surgical patients in this age group may have a comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD). No previously published study has examined the prevalence of OUD and its impact on postoperative morbidity or mortality in the adolescent surgical population. Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of comorbid OUD and its association with surgical outcomes in a US adolescent surgical population. We hypothesized that OUD among adolescent surgical patients is on an upward trajectory and that the presence of OUD is associated with higher risk of postoperative morbidity or mortality. ⋯ OUD is becoming increasingly prevalent in adolescents presenting for surgery. Comorbid OUD is an important determinant of surgical complications, postoperative infection, and resource utilization, underscoring the need to consider OUD as a critical, independent risk factor for postsurgical morbidity.
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The objective was to assess changes over time in prescriptions filled for nonopioid analgesics for older postoperative patients in the immediate postdischarge period. The authors hypothesized that the number of patients who filled a nonopioid analgesic prescription increased during the study period. ⋯ The proportion of postoperative patients who fill prescriptions for nonopioid analgesics has increased. However, rather than a move to use of nonopioids alone for analgesia, this represents a shift away from combination medications toward separate prescriptions for opioids and nonopioids.
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International consensus recommendations support neuraxial anesthesia as the preferred anesthetic technique for total hip arthroplasty. We hypothesized that an institutional initiative to promote spinal anesthesia within a clinical pathway would result in increased use of this technique. ⋯ Implementation of a clinical pathway change to promote spinal anesthesia for total hip arthroplasty may not have been associated with increased use of spinal anesthesia, but utilization rates can vary widely. Baseline spinal anesthesia usage at our institution was higher than the USA national average, and many factors may influence choice of anesthesia technique. Patients who receive spinal anesthesia have decreased opioid requirements and pain scores postoperatively.
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The impacts of COVID-19 and imposed restrictions on individuals with chronic noncancer pain continue to emerge, varying across countries. More recent research (including with longitudinal designs) suggests that the pandemic may not have such a disproportionate effect on chronic noncancer pain and its management as first thought. This longitudinal study, with assessments before the pandemic (2019) and early during the pandemic (May-July 2020), examined changes in validated measures of pain severity, pain interference, prescription opioid misuse, and mental health symptoms. ⋯ The impact of COVID-19 on patients' pain experience and mental health was negligible in the early stages of the pandemic, and findings suggest improvements through the period. Targeted interventions that promote the protective factor of pain self-efficacy and build resilience may buffer patients' future response to the pandemic because it evolves as a part of our new normal. Targeted social determinants of health interventions that direct resources toward maintaining employment could also be important.