scholarly journals Increased risk of new persistent opioid use in pediatric and young adult patients with kidney stones

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Hosier ◽  
Thomas McGregor ◽  
Darren Beiko ◽  
Gregory E. Tasian ◽  
Christopher Booth ◽  
...  

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults are a vulnerable patient population for development of substance use disorder. However, the long-term impact of opioid prescribing in young adult patients with renal colic is not known. Our objective was to describe rates of opioid prescription and identify risk factors for persistent opioid use in patients age 25 years or younger with renal colic from kidney stones. Methods: Using previously validated linked administrative databases, we performed a population-based retrospective cohort study of opioid-naïve patients age 25 years or younger with renal colic between July 1, 2013 and September 30, 2017 in Ontario. All family practitioner, urgent care, and specialist visits in the province were captured. Our primary outcome was persistent opioid use defined as filling a prescription for an opioid between 91 and 180 days after initial visit. Ontario utilizes a narcotic monitoring system, which captures all opioids dispensed in the province. Results: Of the 6962 patients identified, 56% were prescribed an opioid at presentation and 34% of those were dispensed more than 200 oral morphine equivalents. There was persistent opioid use in 313 (8.1%) patients who filled an initial opioid prescription. In adjusted analysis, those prescribed an opioid initially had a significantly higher risk of persistent opioid use (odds ratio [OR] 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.50–2.29) and opioid overdose (OR 3.45, 1.08- 11.04). There was a dose-dependent increase in risk of persistent opioid use with escalating initial opioid dose. History of mental illness (OR 1.32, 1.02- 1.71), and need for surgery (OR 1.71, 1.24- 2.34) were also associated with persistent opioid use. Conclusions: Among patients with kidney stones age 25 years or younger, filling an opioid prescription after presentation is associated with an increased risk of persistent opioid use 3-6 months later and a higher risk of serious long-term complications such as opioid overdose.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin H Slovis ◽  
John Kairys ◽  
Bracken Babula ◽  
Melanie Girondo ◽  
Cara Martino ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Long-term use of opioid medications is associated with an increased risk of dependence. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes specific recommendations regarding opioid prescribing, including that prescription quantities should not exceed the intended duration of treatment. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine if opioid prescription quantities written at our institution exceed intended duration of treatment and whether enhancements to our electronic health record system improved any discrepancies. METHODS We examined the opioid prescriptions written at our institution for a 22-month period. We examined the duration of treatment documented in the prescription itself and calculated a duration based on the quantity of tablets and doses per day. We determined whether requiring documentation of the prescription duration affected these outcomes. RESULTS We reviewed 72,314 opioid prescriptions, of which 16.96% had a calculated duration that was greater than what was documented in the prescription. Making the duration a required field significantly reduced this discrepancy (17.95% vs 16.21%, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) but did not eliminate it. CONCLUSIONS Health information technology vendors should develop tools that, by default, accurately represent prescription durations and/or modify doses and quantities dispensed based on provider-entered durations. This would potentially reduce unintended prolonged opioid use and reduce the potential for long-term dependence.


10.2196/16199 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e16199
Author(s):  
Benjamin H Slovis ◽  
John Kairys ◽  
Bracken Babula ◽  
Melanie Girondo ◽  
Cara Martino ◽  
...  

Background The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Long-term use of opioid medications is associated with an increased risk of dependence. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes specific recommendations regarding opioid prescribing, including that prescription quantities should not exceed the intended duration of treatment. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if opioid prescription quantities written at our institution exceed intended duration of treatment and whether enhancements to our electronic health record system improved any discrepancies. Methods We examined the opioid prescriptions written at our institution for a 22-month period. We examined the duration of treatment documented in the prescription itself and calculated a duration based on the quantity of tablets and doses per day. We determined whether requiring documentation of the prescription duration affected these outcomes. Results We reviewed 72,314 opioid prescriptions, of which 16.96% had a calculated duration that was greater than what was documented in the prescription. Making the duration a required field significantly reduced this discrepancy (17.95% vs 16.21%, P<.001) but did not eliminate it. Conclusions Health information technology vendors should develop tools that, by default, accurately represent prescription durations and/or modify doses and quantities dispensed based on provider-entered durations. This would potentially reduce unintended prolonged opioid use and reduce the potential for long-term dependence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 375-393
Author(s):  
Vishnunarayan Girishan Prabhu ◽  
Laura Stanley ◽  
Robert Morgan

Pain and anxiety are common accompaniments of surgery, and opioids have been the mainstay of pain management for decades, with about 80% of the surgical population leaving the hospital with an opioid prescription. Moreover, patients receiving an opioid prescription after short-stay surgeries have a 44% increased risk of long-term opioid use, and about one in 16 surgical patients becomes a long-term user. Current opioid abuse and addiction now place the US in an “opioid epidemic,” and calls for alternative pain management mechanisms. To mitigate the preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain, we developed a virtual reality (VR) experience based on Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and integrated the user’s heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback to create an adaptive environment. A randomized control trial among 16 Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) patients undergoing surgery at Patewood Memorial Hospital, Greenville, SC demonstrated that patients experiencing the adaptive VR environment reported a significant decrease in preoperative anxiety ([Formula: see text]) and postoperative pain ([Formula: see text]) after the VR intervention. These results were also supported by the physiological measures where there was a significant increase in RR Interval (RRI) ([Formula: see text]) and a significant decrease in the low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio ([Formula: see text]) and respiration rate (RR) ([Formula: see text]).


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Larsson ◽  
Cecilia Nordenson ◽  
Pontus Karling

Abstract Objectives Opioids are commonly prescribed post-surgery. We investigated the proportion of patients who were prescribed any opioids 6–12 months after two common surgeries – laparoscopic cholecystectomy and gastric by-pass (GBP) surgery. A secondary aim was to examine risk factors prior to surgery associated with the prescription of any opioids after surgery. Methods We performed a retrospective observational study on data from medical records from patients who underwent cholecystectomy (n=297) or GBP (n=93) in 2018 in the Region of Västerbotten, Sweden. Data on prescriptions for opioids and other drugs were collected from the patients` medical records. Results There were 109 patients (28%) who were prescribed opioids after discharge from surgery but only 20 patients (5%) who still received opioid prescriptions 6–12 months after surgery. All 20 of these patients had also been prescribed opioids within three months before surgery, most commonly for back and joint pain. Only 1 out of 56 patients who were prescribed opioids preoperatively due to gallbladder pain still received prescriptions for opioids 6–12 months after surgery. Although opioid use in the early postoperative period was more common among patients who underwent cholecystectomy, the patients who underwent GBP were more prone to be “long-term” users of opioids. In the patients who were prescribed opioids within three months prior to surgery, 8 out of 13 patients who underwent GBP and 12 of the 96 patients who underwent cholecystectomy were still prescribed opioids 6–12 months after surgery (OR 11.2; 95% CI 3.1–39.9, p=0,0002). Affective disorders were common among “long-term” users of opioids and prior benzodiazepine and amitriptyline use were significantly associated with “long-term” opioid use. Conclusions The proportion of patients that used opioids 6–12 months after cholecystectomy or GBP was low. Patients with preoperative opioid-use experienced a significantly higher risk of “long-term” opioid use when undergoing GBP compared to cholecystectomy. The indication for being prescribed opioids in the “long-term” were mostly unrelated to surgery. No patient who was naïve to opioids prior surgery was prescribed opioids 6–12 months after surgery. Although opioids are commonly prescribed in the preoperative and in the early postoperative period to patients with gallbladder disease, there is a low risk that these prescriptions will lead to long-term opioid use. The reasons for being prescribed opioids in the long-term are often due to causes not related to surgery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 755-764
Author(s):  
Amalie H. Simoni ◽  
Lone Nikolajsen ◽  
Anne E. Olesen ◽  
Christian F. Christiansen ◽  
Søren P. Johnsen ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesLong-term opioid use after hip fracture surgery has been demonstrated in previously opioid-naïve elderly patients. It is unknown if the opioid type redeemed after hip surgery is associated with long-term opioid use. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the opioid type redeemed within the first three months after hip fracture surgery and opioid use 3–12 months after the surgery.MethodsA nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using data from Danish health registries (2005–2015). Previously opioid-naïve patients registered in the Danish Multidisciplinary Hip Fracture Registry, aged ≥65 years, who redeemed ≥1 opioid prescription within three months after the surgery, were included. Long-term opioid use was defined as ≥1 redeemed prescription within each of three three-month periods within the year after hip fracture surgery. The proportion with long-term opioid use after surgery, conditioned on nine-month survival, was calculated according to opioid types within three months after surgery. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for different opioid types were computed by logistic regression analyses with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using morphine as reference. Subgroup analyses were performed according to age, comorbidity and calendar time before and after 2010.ResultsThe study included 26,790 elderly, opioid-naïve patients with opioid use within three months after hip fracture surgery. Of these patients, 21% died within nine months after the surgery. Among the 21,255 patients alive nine months after surgery, 15% became long-term opioid users. Certain opioid types used within the first three months after surgery were associated with long-term opioid use compared to morphine (9%), including oxycodone (14%, aOR; 1.76, 95% CI 1.52–2.03), fentanyl (29%, aOR; 4.37, 95% CI 3.12–6.12), codeine (13%, aOR; 1.55, 95% CI 1.14–2.09), tramadol (13%, aOR; 1.56, 95% CI 1.35–1.80), buprenorphine (33%, aOR; 5.37, 95% CI 4.14–6.94), and >1 opioid type (27%, aOR; 3.83, 95% CI 3.31–4.44). The proportion of long-term opioid users decreased from 18% before 2010 to 13% after 2010.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that use of certain opioid types after hip fracture surgery is more associated with long-term opioid use than morphine and the proportion initiating long-term opioid use decreased after 2010. The findings suggest that some elderly, opioid-naïve patients appear to be presented with untreated pain conditions when seen in the hospital for a hip fracture surgery. Decisions regarding the opioid type prescribed after hospitalization for hip fracture surgery may be linked to different indication for pain treatment, emphasizing the likelihood of careful and conscientious opioid prescribing behavior.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 533-533
Author(s):  
Linda Edelman ◽  
Troy Andersen ◽  
Cherie Brunker ◽  
Nicholas Cox ◽  
Jorie Butler ◽  
...  

Abstract Opioids are often the first-line chronic pain management strategy for long-term care (LTC) residents who are also at increased risk for opioid-related adverse events. Therefore, there is a need to train LTC providers and staff about appropriate opioid use and alternative treatment strategies. Our interdisciplinary team worked with LTC partners to identify staff educational needs around opioid stewardship. Based on this need’s assessment, we developed eight modules about opioid use and risks for older adults, including those with dementia, recommendations for de-prescribing including other pharmacological and non-pharmacological alternatives, SBIRT, and motivational interviewing to determine “what matters”. Each 20-minute module contains didactic and video content that is appropriate for group staff training or individuals and provides rural LTC facilities access to needed training in their home communities. Within the first month of launching online, the program received over 1100 hits and LTC partners are incorporating modules into clinical staff training schedules.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0005
Author(s):  
Mahad M. Hassan ◽  
Omar F. Rahman ◽  
Zaamin B. Hussain ◽  
Stephane L. Burgess ◽  
Yi-Meng Yen ◽  
...  

Background: Previous studies have examined factors related to the increased use of opioids after hip arthroscopy in adults. However, few have focused on the adolescent population. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the opioids prescribed to opioids consumed after hip arthroscopic procedures in adolescent and young adult patients, and to determine patient or surgical factors associated with increased postoperative opioid use. Methods: Adolescent and young adult patients who underwent hip arthroscopy and associated arthroscopic interventions between January 2017 and January 2020 were included. Patients with a diagnosed pain syndrome or history of chronic pain, as determined by the patient taking opioid medications prior to surgery, were excluded. Daily postoperative opioid intake was recorded via pain-control logbooks. The outcome of the study was defined as the average total number of opioid tablets consumed postoperatively. Results: Fifty-eight patients returned completed logbooks, 72% of whom were female patients. The average age was 21.30 years (range, 14.9 – 34.2). Most patients (73%) were prescribed 30 oxycodone tablets. The median amount of tablets consumed was 7 (range, 0-41) over a median duration of 7 days (range, 1-22). The median ratio of tablets consumed to prescribed was 20% and the 95th percentile of opioids consumed was 28 tablets. Bivariate analysis showed that patient age at surgery was positively correlated to the total amount of tablets consumed (r=0.28, p=0.04) and to the ratio of tablets consumed to prescribed (r=0.30, p=0.03). Duration of surgery was negatively correlated to the number of days tablets were consumed (r=-0.31, p=0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that patients who were prescribed more than 30 tablets took on average 7.8 more tablets overall compared to those prescribed 30 or fewer tablets (p=0.003), and that for each additional year of age, the ratio of tablets consumed to prescribed increased by 1% (p=0.02). Conclusion: After undergoing hip arthroscopy and associated arthroscopic procedures, adolescents and young adult patients are commonly overprescribed opioids, consuming on average only one-fifth of the tablets prescribed. This finding mirrors trends in the pediatric knee arthroscopy literature and provides an opportunity to reassess current opioid prescribing behaviors in the adolescent and young adult populations. [Table: see text][Table: see text][Table: see text][Table: see text][Table: see text]


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E Heins ◽  
Dorianne R Feldman ◽  
David Bodycombe ◽  
Stephen T Wegener ◽  
Renan C Castillo

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Fisher ◽  
Sarah Badran ◽  
John T. Li ◽  
Jodie K. Votava-Smith ◽  
Patrick M. Sullivan

Abstract Objective To describe outcomes of acute coronavirus disease 2019 in paediatric and young adult patients with underlying cardiac disease and evaluate the association between cardiac risk factors and hospitalisation. Study design We conducted a retrospective single-institution review of patients with known cardiac disease and positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RT-PCR from 1 March, 2020 to 30 November, 2020. Extracardiac comorbidities and cardiac risk factors were compared between those admitted for coronavirus disease 2019 illness and the rest of the cohort using univariate analysis. Results Forty-two patients with a mean age of 7.7 ± 6.7 years were identified. Six were 18 years of age or more with the oldest being 22 years of age. Seventy-six percent were Hispanic. The most common cardiac diagnoses were repaired cyanotic (n = 7, 16.6%) and palliated single ventricle (n = 7, 16.6%) congenital heart disease. Fourteen patients (33.3%) had underlying syndromes or chromosomal anomalies, nine (21%) had chronic pulmonary disease and eight (19%) were immunosuppressed. Nineteen patients (47.6%) reported no symptoms. Sixteen (38.1%) reported only mild symptoms. Six patients (14.3%) were admitted to the hospital for acute coronavirus disease 2019 illness. Noncardiac comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation (p = 0.02), particularly chronic pulmonary disease (p = 0.01) and baseline supplemental oxygen requirement (p = 0.007). None of the single ventricle patients who tested positive required admission. Conclusions Hospitalisations for coronavirus disease 2019 were rare among children and young adults with underlying cardiac disease. Extracardiac comorbidities like pulmonary disease were associated with increased risk of hospitalisation while cardiac risk factors were not.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1;24 (1;1) ◽  
pp. 31-40

BACKGROUND: Long-term opioid therapy was prescribed with increasing frequency over the past decade. However, factors surrounding long-term use of opioids in older adults remains poorly understood, probably because older people are not at the center stage of the national opioid crisis. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the annual utilization and trends in long-term opioid use among older adults in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Data from Medicare-enrolled older adults. METHODS: This study utilized a nationally representative sample of Medicare administrative claims data from the years 2012 to 2016 containing records of health care services for more than 2.3 million Medicare beneficiaries each year. Medicare beneficiaries who were 65 years of age or older and who were enrolled in Medicare Parts A, B, and D, but not Part C, for at least 10 months in a year were included in the study. We measured annual utilization and trends in new long-term opioid use episodes over 4 years (2013–2016). We examined claims records for the demographic characteristics of the eligible individuals and for the presence of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), cancer, and other comorbidities. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2016, administrative claims of approximately 2.3 million elderly Medicare beneficiaries were analyzed in each year with a majority of them being women (~56%) and white (~82%) with a mean age of approximately 75 years. The proportion of all eligible beneficiaries with at least one new opioid prescription increased from 6.64% in 2013, peaked at 10.32% in 2015, and then decreased to 8.14% in 2016. The proportion of individuals with long-term opioid use among those with a new opioid prescription was 12.40% in 2013 and 10.20% in 2016. Among new long-term opioid users, the proportion of beneficiaries with a cancer diagnosis during the study years increased from 13.30% in 2013 to 15.67% in 2016, and the proportion with CNCP decreased from 30.25% in 2013 to 27.36% in 2016. Across all years, long-term opioid use was consistently high in the Southern states followed by the Midwest region. LIMITATIONS: This study used Medicare fee-for-service administrative claims data to capture prescription fill patterns, which do not allow for the capture of individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, cash prescriptions, or for the evaluation of appropriateness of prescribing, or the actual use of medication. This study only examined long-term use episodes among patients who were defined as opioid-naive. Finally, estimates captured for 2016 could only utilize data from 9 months of the year to capture 90-day long-term-use episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Using a national sample of elderly Medicare beneficiaries, we observed that from 2013 to 2016 the use of new prescription opioids increased from 2013 to 2014 and peaked in 2015. The use of new long-term prescription opioids peaked in 2014 and started to decrease from 2015 and 2016. Future research needs to evaluate the impact of the changes in new and long-term prescription opioid use on population health outcomes. KEY WORDS: Long-term, opioids, older adults, trends, Medicare, chronic non-cancer pain, cancer, cohort study


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