In-Hospital Exposure and Opioids Prescribed After Total Knee Arthroplasty
Opioids are frequently used intraoperatively and during postanesthesia care unit care in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) cases and are commonly prescribed after surgery despite known adverse effects. This study examined whether in-hospital opioid exposure is related to postoperative opioid prescribing in opioid-naïve TKA patients.
This retrospective study included opioid-naïve patients (no opioid prescriptions filled during the three months before TKA) who had unilateral primary TKA between May 1, 2020, and November 30, 2023, performed by an orthopaedic surgeon. All patients were treated using the same multimodal pain protocol. Opioid prescriptions filled by patients during the three months following TKA (no opioids prescribed [NOP-T] versus opioids prescribed [OP-T]) were analyzed as a function of inhospital opioid exposure.
Source: The Journal of Arthroplasty
