The Association of Preoperative Opioid Use with Postdischarge Outcomes: A Cohort Study of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association of prescription opioid fills over the year before surgery with postoperative outcomes.

Background: Nearly one-third of patients report opioid use in the year preceding surgery, yet an understanding of how opioid exposure influences patient-reported outcomes after surgery remains incomplete. Therefore, this study was designed to test the hypothesis that preoperative opioid exposure may impede recovery in the postoperative period.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used a statewide clinical registry from 70 hospitals linked to opioid fulfillment data from the state's prescription drug monitoring program to categorize patients' preoperative opioid exposure as none (naïve), minimal, intermittent, or chronic. Outcomes were patient-reported pain intensity (primary), as well as 30-day clinical and patient-reported outcomes (secondary).

Results: Compared with opioid-naïve patients, opioid exposure was associated with higher reported pain scores at 30 days after surgery. Predicted probabilities were higher among the opioid exposed versus naive group for reporting moderate pain [43.5% (95% CI: 42.6%-44.4%) vs 39.3% (95% CI: 38.5%-40.1%)] and severe pain [13.% (95% CI: 12.5%-14.0%) vs 10.0% (95% CI: 9.5%-10.5%)], and increasing probability was associated increased opioid exposure for both outcomes. Clinical outcomes (incidence of emergency department visits, readmissions, and reoperation within 30 days) and patient-reported outcomes (reported satisfaction, regret, and quality of life) were also worse with increasing preoperative opioid exposure for most outcomes.

Conclusions: This study is the first to examine the effect of presurgical opioid exposure on both clinical and nonclinical outcomes in a broad cohort of patients and shows that exposure is associated with worse postsurgical outcomes. A key question to be addressed is whether and to what extent opioid tapering before surgery mitigates these risks after surgery.