Predictive Factors of Postdischarge Narcotic Use After Female Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery

Area of Science:

• Pain Management
• Surgical Outcomes
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Pelvic reconstructive surgery patients often require significant postoperative pain management.
• Understanding factors influencing postdischarge narcotic use (PDNU) is crucial for optimizing patient care and preventing misuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between patient factors, in-hospital narcotic consumption, and pain scores with postdischarge narcotic use (PDNU).

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in the multimodal pain regimen arm.
• PDNU assessed via remaining narcotic tablets (mg oral morphine equivalents, MME) from postoperative days 7-10.
• Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) surveys and patient factors analyzed using univariate/multivariate correlations.

Main Results:

• Median PDNU was 127.5 MME after excluding non-users.
• Significant correlations found between in-hospital narcotic use and PDNU across abdominal, laparoscopic, and vaginal approaches.
• Postoperative pain scores (BPI) on day 1 and week 1 correlated significantly with PDNU.

Conclusions:

• In-hospital narcotic use and postoperative pain scores are valuable predictors of PDNU.
• These findings can inform strategies for managing narcotic needs post-pelvic reconstructive surgery.