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Opioid Use Patterns After Total Joint Arthroplasty
Paul King1, Andrea Stone1, Elizabeth Arentz1
1Anne Arundel Medical Center, Center for Joint Replacement, Annapolis, Maryland.
Abstract:
The incidence of new persistent opioid use following elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA) hasnt been well documented; with this study we aim to further characterize opioid use following TJA, specifically focusing on those patients still requiring opioid prescriptions 6 months postoperatively. Retrospective review of a consecutive series of 977 primary TJA performed from June 2016May 2017. Opioid prescriptions verified in Surescripts database; 3.7% (29) opioid nave patients and 18.0% (35) opioid nonnave patients received fills at 6 months. Opioid nave patients requiring fills at 6 months had more fills from 12 months onward. Opioid nonnave patients requiring fills at 6 months had more preoperative fills than those that werent filling opioid prescriptions (5.49 vs. 2.52 fills). Most patients in this study ceased opioid use by 3 months postoperatively. More preoperative fills in the opioid nonnave population and continuing to fill prescriptions after 23 months were associated with continued opioid use. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 29(1):1317, 2020).
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