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Surgery and pain relief: A closer look at opioid prescription trends

Krysta M Sutyak1, Neil Jayarajan1, Yasmine Young1

  • 1Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX; Center for Surgical Trials and Evidence-Based Practice (CSTEP), University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX.

Surgery
|July 19, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Opioid prescriptions after pediatric surgery were limited, mainly for burns and trauma. Most common pediatric operations did not require opioids, indicating targeted prescribing is possible.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Pain Management
  • Opioid Stewardship

Background:

  • Limited published guidelines exist for reducing opioid use and misuse in pediatric patients.
  • An opioid stewardship program was implemented to address this gap.
  • The study aimed to analyze opioid prescribing patterns in pediatric surgery post-implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate opioid prescribing patterns in pediatric surgery after implementing an opioid stewardship program.
  • To identify the types of procedures and patient demographics associated with opioid prescriptions.
  • To assess the filled rates of opioid prescriptions in pediatric surgical patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients undergoing general surgery between July 2021 and July 2023.
  • Data collection included demographics, procedure details, and discharge opioid prescriptions.
  • Cross-referencing with the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program for filled prescription data.

Main Results:

  • Of 4,323 patients, 9% received opioid prescriptions at discharge, primarily for burns (82%) and trauma (7%).
  • Common procedures like appendectomy and hernia repair received no opioid prescriptions.
  • 87% of written opioid prescriptions were filled, with a median of 13 doses for burns.

Conclusions:

  • Opioid prescriptions at discharge are infrequent in pediatric general surgery, concentrated in specific conditions.
  • Many common pediatric surgical procedures do not necessitate opioid prescriptions.
  • Further research is needed to refine opioid prescribing for pediatric surgical patients.
Abstract

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