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Impact of Prescribing on New Persistent Opioid Use After Cardiothoracic Surgery

  • Among opioid-naïve Medicare patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery between 2009 and 2015, 12.8% developed new persistent opioid use.
  • New persistent opioid use rate declined over time, from 17% in 2009 to 7.1% in 2015.
  • Modifiable factors, such as prescription size and preoperative prescription fills, were associated with increased risk of new persistent opioid use. Other patient characteristics associated with higher odds of new persistent opioid use were black race, gastrointestinal complications, disability status, open lung resection, dual eligibility (Medicare and Medicaid), drug and substance abuse, female sex, tobacco use, high comorbidity, pain disorders, longer hospital stay, and younger age.


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Brescia AA, Waljee JF, Hu HM, et al. Impact of Prescribing on New Persistent Opioid Use After Cardiothoracic Surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2019;108(4):1107-1113. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2019.06.019