Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Traditional Chinese Medicine for Sleep Disorders in Acute COPD — A Safe, Cost-Effective Approach
Published on: October 18, 2024
Incidence and risk factors of chronic opioid use after sleep apnea surgery
Mohamed Abdelwahab1, Sandro Marques1, Javier Howard1
1Division of Sleep Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
Study Objectives:
To assess the incidence and risk factors of chronic opioid use after obstructive sleep apnea surgery.
Methods:
Using IBM MarketScan research database, adults (>18 years) who underwent a variety of sleep surgery procedures between 2007 and 2015 were identified. Individuals with 1 year of insurance coverage before and after the surgical procedure were included. Additional anesthesia event(s) in the year following the procedure of interest and those who filled an opioid prescription within the year prior to surgery (not naive) were excluded. Outcomes included rates of persistent opioid use (additional opioid prescriptions filled 90-180 days postoperatively), prolonged use (additional opioid prescriptions filled 181-365 days postoperatively), and inappropriate use (> 100 morphine milligram equivalents). Evaluated variables include demographics, surgical procedures, and comorbidities.
Results:
A total of 10,766 surgical procedures met the inclusion criteria. There was a trend of increased rates of perioperative opioid prescription. After multivariable logistic regression analysis, perioperative opioid prescription and smoking were independent risk factors for inappropriate opioid use (odds ratio [OR] = 31.51, P < .001; OR = 1.41, P = .016, respectively). Opioid prescription and hypertension were independent risk factors for persistent opioid use (OR = 37.8, P < .001, OR = 1.38, P = .008). Perioperative opioid prescription, previous opioid dependence diagnosis, smoking, and male sex were associated with continuous prolonged opioid use (OR = 73.1, 8.13, 1.95, and 1.55, respectively; P < .001, P = .020, P = .024, and P = .032, respectively).
Conclusions:
While efforts by different societies are being implemented to control the opioid crisis, we found that perioperative opioid prescription for airway surgery targeting obstructive sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for persistent, prolonged, and inappropriate opioid use.
Citation:
Abdelwahab M, Marques S, Howard J, et al. Incidence and risk factors of chronic opioid use after sleep apnea surgery. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(7):1805-1813.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Endoscopic Procedures IV: Sigmoidoscopy and Laproscopy
Sigmoidoscopy
Sigmoidoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that uses a flexible sigmoidoscope equipped with a light source and camera to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon. The procedure involves inserting the tube through the anus...
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management

