Objective Quantification of Opioid Usage After Thyroid Surgery

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Pain Management
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• The United States faces a significant opioid crisis, with daily overdose deaths.
• Previous studies suggest low opioid requirements after thyroid and parathyroid surgery.
• There is a need for objective data on postoperative opioid consumption in these procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively quantify opioid pain medication usage in patients following thyroid surgery.
• To assess the actual amount of prescribed opioids consumed by patients post-discharge.

Main Methods:

• Patients undergoing thyroid surgery received a standardized prescription of hydrocodone/acetaminophen.
• Daily opioid consumption and pain levels (Wong-Baker scale) were logged by patients.
• In-office pill counts were utilized to verify patient logs for accuracy.

Main Results:

• This study is the first to objectively measure opioid consumption between discharge and follow-up.
• 85% of patients consumed less than 75.0 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) of opioids.
• Objective pill counts confirmed low opioid usage after thyroid surgery.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid surgery patients require significantly less opioid pain medication than typically prescribed.
• Objective measurement confirms low opioid consumption, supporting reduced prescription practices.
• Multimodality anesthesia shows promise in further minimizing or eliminating postoperative opioid needs.