Takeaway
- Undergoing surgery was significantly associated with an increased risk for opioid misuse in patients enrolled in an opioid agonist treatment (OAT) programme for opioid use disorder (OUD).
Why this matters
- The findings suggest that opioid use relapse is a significant surgical risk factor among patients with a history of OUD.
Study design
- Patients (surgery, n=87; control, n=836) with OUD who had enrolled in an OAT (maintained on methadone/buprenorphine) programme were identified.
- Funding: None disclosed.
Key results
- In the first year postsurgery, more opioid misuse was reported in the surgical vs the control group (58% vs 31%; P<.001).
- Number of opioid overdoses reported in the first year was 6 (2 in the surgical and 4 in the control group; P=.044).
- Propensity score model matched 87 surgical cases with 249 control cases.
- The matched groups showed increased odds for postoperative opioid relapse with surgery (OR, 1.91; P=.034).
- The time from OAT enrollment to surgery was 64.1±24.0 months in the surgical group and 54.9±21.1 months in the matched control group.
- History of alcohol use disorder was associated with increased odds of opioid misuse (OR, 3.06; P<.001).
Limitations
- Retrospective study.
- The reasons for increased risk for opioid misuse were unclear.
Coauthored with Chitra Ravi, MPharm
References
References
