Prescription and Usage Pattern of Opioids after Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
Sallie M Long1, Catherine J Lumley2, Alexander Zeymo3
11 School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
Objective:
We seek to characterize the prescribing patterns of opioids, opioid consumption, and pain severity after thyroid and parathyroid surgery. We also aim to determine if a relationship exists between preoperative medication use and postoperative pain or opioid consumption.
Study Design:
Case series with chart review.
Setting:
Academic university hospital.
Subjects And Methods:
Medical records of 237 adult patients undergoing thyroid and parathyroid surgery were included. Clinicopathologic data were collected, including pain scores, preoperative medications, and inpatient pain medications.
Results:
The mean maximum pain score was 5.74 and varied by surgery type (range, 0-10). Mean pain score decreased to 2.61 upon discharge (0-8) and to 0.51 at the first postoperative visit. Patients with a length of stay exceeding 1 day had significantly higher maximum pain scores than those with a length of stay of 0 or 1 day (8 vs 5.58, P < .001). Morphine milligram equivalents while in the hospital averaged 25.4 per day and were significantly influenced by preoperative opioid use (0-202). Acetaminophen/oxycodone was the most commonly prescribed opioid. The mean number of pills prescribed postoperatively was 43.1 (0-120).
Conclusion:
In our population, patients are discharged with opioid prescriptions that may be in excess of their requirements following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Preoperative opioid use was associated with higher postoperative pain score and, on multivariate analysis, greater inpatient opioid consumption. Further investigation is warranted to ensure that we are prescribing opioids appropriately following thyroid and parathyroid surgery.
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
The Parathyroid Glands
Oxyphil cells, whose functions remain elusive, emerge during late puberty, adding a layer of complexity to the parathyroid gland's intricacies. In contrast, principal parathyroid cells undertake a vital role by...
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners


