Frequency of Cardiovascular Events and In-hospital Mortality With Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The United States faces a severe opioid misuse epidemic, causing over 33,000 annual deaths.
• Opioid use has detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of cardiovascular events associated with opioid overdose.
• To assess the impact of these events on short-term patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study using the National Inpatient Sample (2005-2015).
• International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes identified patients with opioid overdose and cardiovascular outcomes.
• Cardiovascular events categorized into ischemic events, acute heart failure, and arrhythmias.

Main Results:

• Out of 430,459 opioid overdose hospitalizations, 8.6% experienced at least one cardiovascular event.
• Ischemic events occurred in 3.2%, acute heart failure in 0.7%, and arrhythmias in 5.2%.
• Opioid overdose patients with new cardiovascular events had a 4.55-fold increased odds of in-hospital mortality and longer, more costly hospital stays.

Conclusions:

• Opioid overdose is strongly linked to increased rates of cardiovascular events, especially ischemic events and arrhythmias.
• These adverse cardiovascular outcomes contribute to higher mortality rates.
• Associated cardiovascular events increase healthcare resource utilization and hospitalization costs.