Level C· Early human research exploring benefitsRetrospective StudyEurope PMC

Opioid Overprescribing and Procedure-Specific Opioid Consumption Patterns for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patients

Chu JJ., Janis JE., Skoracki R., Barker JC.

Retrospective Study, published in Plast Reconstr Surg (2021) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level C· Early human research exploring benefitsEvidence level of this study

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
Read the A–D evidence level guide

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Retrospective Study
Journal
Plast Reconstr Surg (2021)
Reported sample size
—
Source database
Europe PMC
PMID
33761520
PMCID
PMC9070655
DOI
10.1097/prs.0000000000007782
Citations
22

Abstract (original English)

Background Opioid prescribing practices contribute to opioid misuse, dependency, and diversion. There are currently no comprehensive and quantitative evidence-based guidelines that give procedure-specific recommendations regarding opioid prescribing in plastic surgery. Methods A retrospective review of 479 plastic surgery patients encompassing 23 different plastic surgery procedure categories was performed. Opioid prescribing patterns and patient-reported opioid use at 1 and 3 months postoperatively are reported. Results Opioid overprescribing was common, averaging an excess of 13 pills per patient across all procedure categories (prescribed versus consumed, 25.4 ± 23.1 versus 12.1 ± 19.7; p = 3.0 × 10-19), with a total excess of 5895 pills (30,967 oral morphine equivalents) for the study's sample. Fifty-two percent of all opioid pills prescribed went unused. Opioid consumption ranged between four and 37 pills across procedure categories. A greater proportion of patients who reported a history of preoperative opioid use were still using opioids at the time of their 1-month and 3-month follow-up appointments (62 percent versus 9 percent at 1 month, and 31 percent versus 1 percent at 3 months). Most patients (83 percent) did not store opioids in a locked location, and 64 percent did not dispose of opioids at 1 month. Conclusions Opioids are commonly overprescribed by plastic surg

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • Without an adequate control group, treatment effects cannot be separated from other factors.

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

How we grade evidence
HumansAnalgesics, OpioidRetrospective StudiesSurgery, PlasticAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overMiddle AgedFemale

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