Study Looks at Opioid Dispensing Among Youths Undergoing Surgery

TUESDAY, July 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, 16.2 percent of opioid-naive youths undergoing a surgical procedure filled an initial opioid prescription one to 14 days before surgery, according to a study published online July 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Tori N. Sutherland, M.D., M.P.H., from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues characterized changes in preoperative, postoperative, and refill opioid prescriptions up to 180 days after surgery in a retrospective cohort study involving opioid-naive youths aged 11 to 20 years undergoing 22 inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures.

Of the 100,026 opioid-naive youths undergoing a surgical procedure, 46.9 percent filled an initial prescription, 16.2 percent of which were dispensed one to 14 days before surgery. The researchers found that the mean quantity dispensed was 227 morphine milligram equivalents (MME); 13.8 percent of youths filled a second prescription (mean MME, 239) up to 30 days after surgery and 3.0 percent refilled a prescription 91 to 180 days after surgery. Associations with new persistent opioid use were strongest for preoperative prescriptions, increasing age, and procedures not typically associated with severe pain.

"This cohort study identified concerning outcomes, including routine preoperative opioid prescriptions and prolonged refills despite an overall decline in both initial and refill prescriptions," the authors write. "Opioid prescriptions and quantities dispensed were often inconsistent with professional society or guideline recommendations."

One author disclosed ties to Optum HealthCare; a second author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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