Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Aug 18;9(8):105-111.
doi: 10.5312/wjo.v9.i8.105.

Effect of opioid dependence or abuse on opioid utilization after shoulder arthroplasty

Affiliations

Effect of opioid dependence or abuse on opioid utilization after shoulder arthroplasty

Derek D Berglund et al. World J Orthop. .

Abstract

Aim: To examine whether opioid dependence or abuse has an effect on opioid utilization after anatomic or reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA).

Methods: All anatomic TSA (ICD-9 81.80) and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) (ICD-9 81.88) procedures from 2007 to 2015 were queried from within the Humana claims database utilizing the PearlDiver supercomputer (Colorado Springs, CO). Study groups were formed based on the presence or absence of a previous history of opioid dependence (ICD-9 304.00 and 304.03) or abuse (ICD-9 305.50 and 305.53). Opioid utilization among the groups was tracked monthly up to 1 year post-operatively utilizing National Drug Codes. A secondary analysis was performed to determine risk factors for pre-operative opioid dependence or abuse.

Results: Two percent of TSA (157 out of 7838) and 3% of RSA (206 out of 6920) patients had a history of opioid dependence or abuse. For both TSA and RSA, opioid utilization was significantly higher in opioid dependent patients at all post-operative intervals (P < 0.01) although the incidence of opioid use among groups was similar within the first post-operative month. After TSA, opioid dependent patients were over twice as likely to fill opioid prescriptions during the post-operative months 1-12. Following RSA, opioid dependent patients were over 3 times as likely to utilize opioids from months 3-12. Age less than 65 years, history of mood disorder, and history of chronic pain were significant risk factors for pre-operative opioid dependence/abuse in patients who underwent TSA or RSA.

Conclusion: Following shoulder arthroplasty, opioid use between opioid-dependent and non-dependent patients is similar within the first post-operative month but is greater among opioid-dependent patients from months 2-12.

Keywords: Abuse; Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty; Chronic pain; Dependence; Mood disorder; Narcotic; Opioid; Reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percent of patients filling at least one opioid prescription within each post-operative interval following reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Within the first post-operative month, patients with a history of opioid dependence/abuse were slightly more likely to fill opioid prescriptions (RR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.27-1.45, P < 0.001). However, they were over 3 times as likely to use opioids during post-operative months 3-12 (RR ranged 3.09-3.50, 95%CI: 2.67-4.10, P < 0.001).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent of patients filling at least one opioid prescription within each post-operative interval following reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Within the first post-operative month, patients with a history of opioid dependence/abuse were slightly more likely to fill opioid prescriptions (RR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.27-1.45, P < 0.001). However, they were over 3 times as likely to use opioids during post-operative months 3-12 (RR ranged 3.09-3.50, 95%CI: 2.67-4.10, P < 0.001).

References

    1. Atluri S, Sudarshan G, Manchikanti L. Assessment of the trends in medical use and misuse of opioid analgesics from 2004 to 2011. Pain Physician. 2014;17:E119–E128. - PubMed
    1. Gilson AM, Ryan KM, Joranson DE, Dahl JL. A reassessment of trends in the medical use and abuse of opioid analgesics and implications for diversion control: 1997-2002. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2004;28:176–188. - PubMed
    1. Fischer B, Keates A, Bühringer G, Reimer J, Rehm J. Non-medical use of prescription opioids and prescription opioid-related harms: why so markedly higher in North America compared to the rest of the world? Addiction. 2014;109:177–181. - PubMed
    1. Lindenhovius AL, Helmerhorst GT, Schnellen AC, Vrahas M, Ring D, Kloen P. Differences in prescription of narcotic pain medication after operative treatment of hip and ankle fractures in the United States and The Netherlands. J Trauma. 2009;67:160–164. - PubMed
    1. Volkow ND, McLellan TA, Cotto JH, Karithanom M, Weiss SR. Characteristics of opioid prescriptions in 2009. JAMA. 2011;305:1299–1301. - PMC - PubMed