Related Experiment Videos
Opioid Risk Tool Scores are Not Associated With Opioid Misuse After Elective General Surgery: A Prospective Study.
Lauren Hasan1, Tristan Milarch2, Nicholas J Rudzianski2
1Acute Care Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, Iowa City, Iowa.
The Journal of Surgical Research
|July 8, 2026
Summary
The Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) and ORT-OUD were assessed for predicting opioid misuse in surgery patients. While higher scores correlated with pain dissatisfaction, neither tool proved effective for predicting prolonged opioid use or misuse post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Surgical Outcomes
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Preoperative assessment for opioid misuse is underutilized but clinically valuable.
- The Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) and ORT-OUD are validated for chronic pain but not surgical patients.
- This study aimed to validate these tools in elective general surgery settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) and its opioid use disorder-specific variant (ORT-OUD) in patients undergoing elective general surgery.
- To assess the predictive accuracy of these tools for opioid misuse in a surgical population.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study included 178 patients undergoing elective general surgery.
- Patients completed the ORT; demographics and opioid use were recorded.
- Postoperative pain control and opioid use at 30 days were assessed.
Main Results:
- Higher ORT scores correlated with increased calls for pain and poorer pain control ratings (P < 0.05).
- Only three opioid-naïve patients remained on opioids at 30 days, all with low ORT scores.
- The ORT and ORT-OUD did not demonstrate predictive validity for prolonged opioid use or misuse.
Conclusions:
- The ORT and ORT-OUD are not validated as predictive tools for prolonged opioid use or misuse after elective general surgery.
- Despite associations with pain satisfaction, their utility in this specific patient group requires further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Opioids are a class of drugs that mimic endogenous opioid peptides and act on opioid receptors, and help in pain relief. These compounds are classified as natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic. Natural opioids, like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, are derived from the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum or Papaver album) and are termed opiates. Synthetic opioids are artificial, while semi-synthetic opioids combine natural and synthetic compounds. Morphine, a prototypical opioid, possesses a...
01:15Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Synthetic and semisynthetic opioids are pivotal in pain management and tackling opioid addiction. Semisynthetic opioids, including morphinans (morphine derivatives), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, have improved pharmacokinetic profiles compared to morphine. Additionally, heroin and 6-MAM (6-Monoacetylmorphine) show better CNS penetration than morphine due to heightened lipid solubility. Hydromorphone, a potent opioid, undergoes hepatic metabolism to form the active...