Lumbar spine surgery reduces postoperative opioid use in the veteran population.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The United States has been facing a worsening opioid epidemic over the past two decades. The veteran population represents a large and vulnerable group with a higher burden of mental health comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of lumbar spine surgery on postoperative opioid usage in the United States veteran population.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure database. Patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery were stratified into three groups by their preoperative opioid claims within 365 days of surgery. Postoperative cumulative morphine milligram equivalents (MME) were tracked for each group and the paired Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare

SUBMITTER: Rezaii PG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9808105 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature