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Opioid use linked to dissatisfaction after spinal surgery
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Preoperative use of opioids has been linked to higher levels of patient dissatisfaction after spinal surgery, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Patients’ improvement after spinal surgery is also reported to decrease if opioids are used before the procedure.
“We have demonstrated that increasing amounts of preoperative opioid consumption may have a harmful effect on patient reported outcomes in those undergoing spinal surgery,” lead study author, Clinton J. Devin, MD, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery at the Vanderbilt Spine Center, said in a press release about the study.
In the study, 326 of 583 patients (56%) reported some degree of opioid use prior to elective lumbar, thoracolumbar or cervical spine surgery between October 2010 and June 2012. The researchers collected preoperative demographic data, and information on daily opioid use, type, dosage, delivery route, and frequency of use during a 24-hour period was collected converted to a morphine-equivalent amount in milligrams per day. Mean preoperative daily morphine equivalent was 8.75 mg, according to the release.
Health status was measured preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. According to the press release, preoperative opioid use was a predictor of worse health outcomes at 3 and 12 months following surgical treatment.
Additionally, a decrease in mental and physical health and disability scores was associated with every 10-milligram increase in the daily morphine equivalent amount taken preoperatively.
Previous studies have linked opioid use and diminished spine surgery outcomes; however, the findings of those studies did not account for differences in opioid consumption among patients, according to the press release.