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Trends in Opioid Prescribing and New Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery in the United States

  • The initial postoperative opioid prescription size for patients undergoing major/minor surgery decreased from 282 oral morphine equivalent (OME) in 2013 to 164 OME in 2021.
  • Among opioid naïve patients, the rate of new persistent opioid use (NPOU) was also dropped from 2.7% in 2013 to 1.1% in 2021.
  • Initial postoperative prescription size played a significant role in reducing new persistent use. For every 10 tablets of 5 mg oxycodone, there was a 6% increase in the odds of developing NPOU.

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Luby, A. O., Alessio-Bilowus, D., Hu, H. M., Brummett, C. M., Waljee, J. F., & Bicket, M. C. (2024). Trends in Opioid Prescribing and New Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery in the United States. Annals of surgery, 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006461. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000006461