Takeaway
- Inpatient opioid treatment is associated with postdischarge opioid exposure in patients with IBD.
Why this matters
- Providers should consider alternative analgesics for patients hospitalized with IBD to reduce risk for future opioid use.
Study design
- Researchers analyzed the health records of adult patients hospitalized for IBD (N=601), using multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression to assess associations between inpatient opioid exposure and subsequent opioid prescriptions (OPIRx) ≤12 months after discharge.
- Funding: None.
Key results
- Inpatient treatment with intravenous opioids (IVOPIs) vs non-IVOPIs had a significantly greater association with OPIRx: OR, 3.3 (95% CI, 1.7-6.4).
- Inpatient treatment with non-IVOPIs vs no opioids also had a significantly greater association with OPIRx: OR, 4.2 (95% CI, 1.0-16.8).
- Subgroup analysis of patients with IBD flares (n=621) treated with IVOPIs vs non-IVOPIs showed a significantly greater association with OPIRx: OR, 5.4 (95% CI, 2.6-11.0).
Limitations
- The study was retrospective and was limited by potential confounding by indication.
- Patient data did not include dose calculations from inpatient opioid infusions or patient-controlled analgesia.
References
References