Chronic Opioid Use Is Associated With Surgical Site Infection After Lumbar Fusion

Study Design. Retrospective, database review. Objective. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between preoperative opioid use and postoperative infection requiring operative wound washout in elective lumbar fusion patients. Summary of Background Data. Numerous peer-reviewed publications have conducted multivariate analyses of risk factors for surgical site infection. However, few have explored preoperative opioid use. Opioids have been widely prescribed preoperatively for pain management, but their effect on postsurgical infection is currently inconclusive. Methods. We retrospectively queried the PearlDiver national insurance claims database and included patients from 2007 to 2017 with a history of lumbar fusion. Any interbody fusion history designated exclusion. We stratified patients by single or multilevel procedures and conducted univariate analyses of previously documented infection risk factors, as well as our variable of interest, chronic preoperative opioid use. Variables associated (P 
Source: Spine - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: SURGERY Source Type: research