Sex Differences in Opioid Administration After Cardiac Surgery

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Opioid analgesics are commonly used for postoperative pain management.
• Understanding sex-based differences in analgesic administration is crucial for optimizing patient care.
• Cardiac surgery patients often require significant pain relief postoperatively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential sex-based disparities in the prescription and administration of opioid analgesics.
• To compare opioid consumption between male and female inpatients following cardiac surgery.
• To explore associations between patient sex and the use of non-opioid analgesics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study design.
• Inclusion of adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery between 2014 and 2019 at a tertiary academic center.
• Multivariate regression models were employed to adjust for confounders such as weight and length of stay.

Main Results:

• A total of 3,822 patients were analyzed (1,032 women, 2,790 men).
• Female patients received significantly lower cumulative oral morphine equivalent doses (OMED) postoperatively (adjusted mean difference: -33.21 mg).
• Women were more likely to receive gabapentinoids, while no sex differences were observed in the use of other non-opioid analgesics or specific opioid types.

Conclusions:

• Female sex is independently associated with lower opioid administration following cardiac surgery.
• The findings suggest potential sex-based differences in pain management strategies after cardiac procedures.
• Further research may be warranted to explore the clinical implications of these observed disparities.