Articles: opioid.
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The relationships between the initial opioid prescription characteristics and pain etiology with the probability of opioid discontinuation were explored in this retrospective cohort study using health insurance claims data from a nationally representative database of commercially insured patients in the United States. We identified 1,353,902 persons aged 14 years and older with no history of cancer or substance abuse, with new opioid use episodes and categorized them into 11 mutually exclusive pain etiologies. Cox proportional hazards models were estimated to identify factors associated with time to opioid discontinuation. ⋯ Increasing days' supply of the first prescription was consistently associated with a lower likelihood of opioid discontinuation (HRs, CIs: 3-4 days' supply = .70, .70-.71; 5-7 days' supply = .48, .47-.48; 8-10 days' supply = .37, .37-.38; 11-14 days' supply = .32, .31-.33; 15-21 days' supply = .29, .28-.29; ≥22 days supplied = .20, .19-.20). The direction of this relationship was consistent across all pain etiologies. Clinicians should initiate patients with the lowest supply of opioids to mitigate unintentional long-term opioid use.
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The Journal of urology · Nov 2017
Rates and Risk Factors for Opioid Dependence and Overdose after Urological Surgery.
Effective pain management is a critical component of the perioperative process with opioids representing a mainstay of therapy. The opioid epidemic is a growing concern in the United States. The goal of this study was to quantify the risk of opioid dependence or overdose among patients undergoing urological surgery and to identify risk factors of opioid dependence or overdose. ⋯ Postoperative opioid dependence or overdose affects 1 of 1,111 urological surgery patients. Risk factors for opioid dependence or overdose included younger age, inpatient surgery and increasing hospitalization duration, baseline depression, tobacco use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as insurance provider, including Medicaid, Medicare (age less than 65 years) and noninsured status.
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Observational Study
Use of Prophylactic Ondansetron with Intravenous Opioids in Emergency Department Patients: A Prospective Observational Pilot Study.
The current literature suggests that the prophylactic use of antiemetics is ineffective at preventing nausea or vomiting caused by opioids in the emergency department (ED). While there is no data evaluating ondansetron's efficacy for preventing opioid-induced nausea and vomiting, this practice remains common despite a lack of supporting evidence. ⋯ Our trial found that ondansetron did not appear to be effective at preventing opioid-induced nausea or vomiting. These findings and previous literature suggest prophylactic ondansetron should not be given to ED patients who are receiving IV opioids.
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Hand (New York, N.Y.) · Nov 2017
Postoperative Pain Management Following Carpal Tunnel Release: A Prospective Cohort Evaluation.
Managing postoperative pain in hand surgery is important for both patients and surgeons. However, there is growing concern over prescription opioid abuse. We hypothesized: (1) that pain medications after carpal tunnel release (CTR) surgery are over-prescribed; and (2) that opioids are unnecessary in the majority of patients. ⋯ Following CTR, pain medications are being over-prescribed, with patients receiving more than double the amount of pills than they consume. Tramadol appears to be equally effective in managing postoperative pain compared with opioids.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Nov 2017
Rapid Response Team activation for pediatric patients on the acute pain service.
Untreated pain or overly aggressive pain management may lead to adverse physiologic consequences and activation of the hospital's Rapid Response Team. This study is a quality improvement initiative that attempts to identify patient demographics and patterns associated with Rapid Response Team consultations for patients on the acute pain service. ⋯ Identifying demographics and etiologies of acute pain service patients requiring Rapid Response Team consultations may help to identify patients at risk for clinical decompensation.