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Opioid Prescription After Cardiac Surgery
Victor Hui1, Nada Marhoon2, Michael Bailey3
1Department of Anaesthesia, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; Data Analytics Research and Evaluation (DARE) Centre, Austin Hospital and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.
Heart, Lung & Circulation
|October 18, 2021
Summary
Opioid prescriptions after cardiac surgery are common, often high-dose, and linked to long-term use. Many patients receive slow-release formulations, with 14% still using opioids 3-12 months post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Pain Management
Background:
- Opioid use after cardiac surgery requires characterization.
- Understanding prescription patterns is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize short-term and long-term opioid prescription patterns post-cardiac surgery.
- To identify factors associated with high-dose and persistent opioid use.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 2,205 cardiac surgery patients from an Australian tertiary hospital (Nov 2012 - Jul 2019).
- Primary outcome: opioid dose at hospital discharge.
- Secondary outcomes: factors associated with high-dose and persistent opioid use.
Main Results:
- 76.4% of patients received opioids at discharge (median 150 mg oral morphine equivalents).
- 52.8% of prescriptions were slow-release; 60.0% for opioid-naive patients pre-discharge.
- 14.0% of patients continued opioid use 3-12 months post-surgery.
Conclusions:
- Opioid discharge prescriptions are prevalent after cardiac surgery.
- Prescriptions often exceed recommended doses and include slow-release formulations.
- Discharge opioid prescribing is associated with sustained use up to 12 months post-surgery.
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