Predictors of Serious Opioid-Related Adverse Drug Events in Hospitalized Patients

Opioids are high-risk medications in the inpatient setting because of their potential for significant patient harm. The primary objective was to identify risk factors that predispose inpatients to develop opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADE) requiring the use of naloxone.

In a retrospective case-control study, patients were included according to the following criteria: 18 years or older, 1 administered opioid doses or more, and admitted for 24 hours or more. Patients were excluded if they had a prehospital drug overdose, other indications for naloxone use, or were admitted to an intensive care unit, psychiatric medical unit, or in the emergency department. Patients were classified as cases if naloxone was administered and a selection of controls were frequency matched 2:1 based on medical or surgical status. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate for risk factors for ORADE.

A total of 275 cases and 592 control patients were included into the final analysis. Variables that were associated with greater odds of naloxone administration included age of 65 years or older, female, length of stay, pulmonary diagnoses, use of gabapentinoids, and patient-controlled analgesia use. Antihistamines, continuous infusion, and intermittent nurse administered intravenous bolus routes had a negative association with naloxone use.

Several risk factors were found to be associated with ORADE supporting many of the previously described risk factors, and the discovery of potential new ones, such as gabapentinoid use. Health care providers should consider the risk factors for hospitalized patients receiving opioids who may warrant lower doses, additional monitoring, or alternative agents.