Opioid over-prescription after total joint arthroplasty: Findings from patient reported opioid consumption journals.

Dwyer, Maureen K; Melnic, Christopher M; Tumpowsky, Catharine; Humphrey, Tyler; Hosseinzadeh, Shayan; Bedair, Hany S · J Orthop · 2022

prospective_cohort · Level II

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Abstract

We sought to determine postoperative opioid consumption for opioid-naïve patients undergoing total knee and hip arthroplasty (THA and TKA) procedures via an observational cohort study, consisting of 55 patients who underwent either primary unilateral TKA (n = 28) or THA (n = 27). Patients were provided with a journal to track daily consumption of pain medicine. Patients were prescribed an average of 67 opioid pills post-operatively; however, they consumed an average of 31 pills (214 morphine equivalent doses - MED). TKA patients received (p = 0.01) and consumed (p = 0.005) higher amounts of opioids. On average, patients ceased opioid usage at 14 days post-operatively.