Opioid administration across racial and ethnic groups for patients undergoing liver resection: are there disparities?

Racial and ethnic disparities in the treatment of perioperative pain have not been well-studied, despite being observed in a variety of other medical settings. The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the relationship between race and ethnicity and intra- and postoperative opioid administration for patients undergoing open liver resection surgery.

In this single-center retrospective cohort study, adult patients undergoing open liver resection from January 2012 to May 2019 were identified. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were extracted from the institutional perioperative data warehouse. The primary outcome was weight-based intraoperative morphine milligram equivalents (MME/kg). Secondary outcome variables included use of neuraxial analgesia and length of stay (LOS). Multivariable regression models were used, which controlled for pertinent factors such as age and duration of surgery.

There were 1294 adult open liver resections included in this study: 532 (41%) patients self-reported as White, 401 (31%) as Asian, 159 (12%) as Black, 97 (7%) as Hispanic, and 105 (8%) as Other. The risk adjusted mean intraoperative MME/kg was not different among racial groups (White: 3.25 [95% CL 3.02-3.49] mg/kg vs. Asian: 3.38 [95% CL 3.10-3.69] mg/kg, p = 0.87; Black: 2.95 [95% CL 2.70-3.23] mg/kg, p = 0.19; Hispanic: 3.36 [95% CL 3.00-3.77] mg/kg, p = 0.97). In the multivariable models for secondary outcomes, length of stay was significantly higher for Black (estimate: 1.17, CL: 1.00 to 1.35, p = 0.047) and Hispanic (1.30, CL: 1.05 to 1.65, p = 0.018) patients relative to White patients. No racial/ethnic groups were significantly associated with higher or lower odds of receiving regional anesthesia.

For patients undergoing liver resection surgery, no racial and ethnic disparities were observed for weight-based intraoperative MME.