Frailty Status and Opioid Use After Surgery
Author Information
Author(s): Latack Kyle R. MD, Howard Ryan MD, Bicket Mark C. MD, PhD, Cooley Samantha MSW, Gunaseelan Vidhya MBA, MS, MHA, Englesbe Michael MD, Waljee Jennifer MD, MPH, MS
Primary Institution: University of Michigan
Hypothesis
Frail individuals will consume more opioids even when controlling for age due to the interaction of pain and existing comorbidities.
Conclusion
Frailty status is associated with increased opioid consumption after common operations.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients with a frailty score of greater than or equal to two consumed significantly more opioids.
- Frail individuals were less likely to receive an opioid prescription at discharge.
- Majority of patients did not consume all opioids prescribed.
Takeaway
Older and frail people might need more pain medicine after surgery, but they often don't get it.
Methodology
Retrospective analysis of opioid-naïve adult patients undergoing common surgical procedures, assessing postoperative opioid consumption and frailty status.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data may lead to inaccuracies in opioid consumption reporting.
Limitations
Opioid consumption data was self-reported, which may introduce recall bias; the study did not explore long-term outcomes.
Participant Demographics
Average age was 52.9 years; majority were female (55.8%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 1.5–5.1
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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