* Development and Validation of a Risk Calculator for Prolonged Opioid Use After Shoulder Surgery

Opioid addiction is an escalating problem in the United States, with 33,091 reported deaths due to opioid overdoses in 2015. Although opioids are often an integral part of postoperative pain control, they can have significant side effects including physical dependence, development of tolerance, respiratory depression, and death. Orthopaedic surgeons are the third highest prescribers of opioids among physicians in the United States. Properly identifying patients who are at greater risk for prolonged postoperative opioid use can help direct patients care towards ancillary treatments such as behavioral therapy, pain management and should ultimately reduce the risk of serious harm.

Source: Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery - July 19, 2019 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Allen D. Nicholson, Hafiz F. Kassam, Jacqueline Steele, Natalie Passarelli, Theodore A. Blaine, David Kovacevic Source Type: research