Opioid Consumption After Rotator Cuff Repair

Rising perioperative opioid use in the United States is of increasing concern. The purposes of this study were (1) to define opioid consumption after rotator cuff repair (RCR) in the United States and (2) to evaluate patient factors that may be associated with prolonged opioid use after arthroscopic RCR.

All arthroscopic RCRs performed between 2007 and 2014 were identified by use of Current Procedural Terminology code (29,827). Patients who filled opioid prescriptions preoperatively were divided into those who filled prescriptions at 1 to 3 months preceding RCR and those who filled opioid prescriptions only in the 1 month preceding RCR. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated by dividing the cumulative incidence of opioid prescriptions in patients with each patient factor by the cumulative incidence in those without each patient factor.

During the study period, 35,155 arthroscopic RCRs were performed. Of the patients, approximately 43% had filled an opioid prescription in the 3 months before RCR. At 3 months after RCR, patients who filled opioid prescriptions at 1 to 3 months before RCR were 7.45 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.95-7.98) times more likely to be filling opioid medication prescriptions than those who had not been prescribed opioid medications before surgery; patients who filled opioid prescriptions in the month before RCR were 3.04 (95% CI, 2.8-3.29) times more likely to be filling opioid prescriptions at 3 months after RCR. Patients with psychiatric diagnoses (RR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.85-2.04), myalgia (RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.6-1.75), and low-back pain (RR, 2.09; 95% CI, 2-2.2) were also found to be at risk of filling opioid prescriptions at 3 months postoperatively.

We found approximately 43% of patients undergoing RCR received opioid medications before RCR. Patients who are prescribed narcotics before RCR are at increased risk of postoperative opioid demand. Patients with psychiatric diagnoses, myalgia, and low-back pain may be at increased risk of prolonged opioid use after surgery.

Level III, retrospective case-control study.