Frequency of Cardiovascular Events and In-hospital Mortality with Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations

The United States is in the kernel of cataclysmic opioid misuse epidemic with over 33,000 deaths per year from both prescription and illegal opioids use. One of the most common pernicious effects of opioids is on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the incidence of opioid overdose associated cardiovascular events and its impact on short-term outcomes. This was a retrospective, observational study which utilized data from the National Inpatient Sample from January 2005-September 2015 using ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes to identify patients with opioid overdose and associated cardiovascular outcomes.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research