Quantifying the Risk of Analgesic-Related Adverse Events After Knee Arthroscopy

Opioids are frequently used as part of multimodal pain management protocols for knee arthroscopy; however, their use may be associated with opioid-related adverse events. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of potential analgesic-related complications after knee arthroscopy using a nationally representative database. Using 2010\endash 2012 Medicare claims data, patients undergoing knee arthroscopy procedures (including ligament repair, meniscectomy, and chondroplasty) were identified. The risk of complications related to typical modalities of analgesia, including opioids, within 90 days following surgery was assessed using multivariate Cox regression. Based on follow-up of 16,567 cases, respiratory complications (bradypnea, pulmonary insufficiency, asphyxia, and hypoxemia) were the most frequently diagnosed complications (n = 418; 2.52%), followed by postoperative nausea and vomiting (n = 174; 1.05%) and urinary retention complications (n = 166; 1.00%). Risk factors including older age, male gender, lower socioeconomic status, and a high number of comorbidities were associated with development of postsurgical complications.