Opioid Overprescribing and Procedure-Specific Opioid Consumption Patterns for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Opioid prescribing practices contribute to opioid misuse, dependency, and diversion. There are currently no comprehensive and quantitative evidence-based guidelines that give procedure-specific recommendations regarding opioid prescribing in plastic surgery.

Methods

A retrospective review of 479 plastic surgery patients encompassing 23 different plastic surgery procedure categories was performed. Opioid prescribing patterns and patient-reported opioid use at 1 and 3 months postoperatively are reported.

Results

Opioid overprescribing was common, averaging an excess of 13 pills per patient across all procedure categories (prescribed versus consumed, 25.4 ± 23.1 versus 12.1 ± 19.7; p = 3.0 × 10-19), with a total excess of 5895 pills (30,967 oral morphine equiv

SUBMITTER: Chu JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9070655 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature