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Observational Study
. 2023 Jan 14;24(1):31.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-06142-1.

Discharge to inpatient rehabilitation following arthroplasty is a strong predictor of persistent opioid use 90 days after surgery: a prospective, observational study

Deanne E Jenkin  1   2   3 , Ian A Harris  4   5   6   7 , Joseph Descallar  6 , Justine M Naylor  4   5   6   7
Affiliations
Observational Study

Discharge to inpatient rehabilitation following arthroplasty is a strong predictor of persistent opioid use 90 days after surgery: a prospective, observational study

Deanne E Jenkin et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Total knee and hip arthroplasty are considered a clinically and cost-effective intervention, however, persistent pain post-surgery can occur, and some continue to take opioid medications long-term. One factor which has infrequently been included in prediction modelling is rehabilitation pathway, in particular, one which includes inpatient rehabilitation. As discharge to inpatient rehabilitation post-arthroplasty is common practice, we aimed to identify whether rehabilitation pathway (discharge to in-patient rehabilitation or not) predicts continued use of opioids at 3 months (90 days) post- total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) whilst controlling for other covariates.

Methods: The study was nested within a prospective observational study capturing pre-operative, acute care and longer-term data from 1900 osteoarthritis (OA) patients who underwent primary TKA or THA. The larger study involved a part-random, part-convenience sample of 19 high-volume hospitals across Australia. Records with complete pre-and post-operative analgesic (35 days and 90 days) use were identified [1771 records (93% of sample)] and included in logistic regression analyses.

Results: Three hundred and thirteen people (17.8%) reported ongoing opioid use at 90 days post-operatively. In the adjusted model, admission to inpatient rehabilitation after surgery was identified as an independent and significant predictor of opioid use at 90-days. Inpatient rehabilitation was associated with almost twice the odds of persistent opioid use at 90-days compared to discharge directly home (OR = 1.9 (1.4, 2.5), p < .001).

Conclusion: The inpatient rehabilitation pathway is a strong predictor of longer-term opioid use (90 days) post-arthroplasty, accounting for many known and possible confounders of use including sex, age, insurance status, major complications, smoking status and baseline body pain levels.

Trial registration: The study was nested within a prospective cohort observational study capturing pre-operative, acute-care and longer-term data from patients undergoing primary TKA or THA for osteoarthritis (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01899443).

Keywords: Analgesics; Arthroplasty; In-patient rehabilitation; Joint surgery; Opioid; Pain; Rehabilitation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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