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Classifying Preoperative Opioid Use for Surgical Care

  • Preoperative opioid use is common among patients who undergo elective surgery, with 38% filling an opioid prescription in the 12 months before surgery.
  • Even minimal opioid use before surgery increases the probability of needing additional postoperative prescriptions in the 30 days after surgery.
  • Surgeons should take into account any preoperative opioid use in patients when prescribing and coordinating postoperative pain management.


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Vu JV, Cron DC, Lee JS, et al. Classifying Preoperative Opioid Use for Surgical Care. Ann Surg. 2020;271(6):1080-1086. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000003109