Opioid use following shoulder stabilization surgery: risk factors for prolonged use

Outcomes for Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers Following Transition from Medicaid to Commercial Insurance

Objective

This study investigates the outcomes of Medicaid beneficiaries with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) who had transitioned to commercial insurance.

Methods

We utilized the PearlDiver claims database to identify adult patients diagnosed with a new DFU between 2010 and 2019. The study cohort comprised 8856 Medicaid beneficiaries who had at least three years of continuous enrollment after DFU diagnosis. Medicaid beneficiaries who transitioned to Medicare during follow-up were excluded. Adjusted comparisons of outcomes were performed by propensity matching the two groups for age, gender, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) in a 1:1 ratio. We used logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier estimate to evaluate the association between insurance change (from Medicaid to commercial insurance) and major amputation.

Results

Among the 8856 Medicaid beneficiaries with DFUs, 66% (n = 5809) had transitioned to commercial insurance coverage during follow-up. The overall major amputation rate was 2.8% (n = 247), with a lower rate observed in patients who transitioned to commercial insurance compared to those with continuous Medicaid coverage (2.6% vs. 3.2%, p < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, Medicaid beneficiaries who transitioned to commercial insurance had a 27% lower risk of major amputation (study cohort: odds ratios [OR] 0.75, 95% CI 0.56-0.97, p = 0.03; matched cohort: OR 0.65, 95% 0.22, 0.55, p = 0.01) compared to those with continuous Medicaid coverage.

Conclusions

Transitioning from Medicaid to commercial insurance may be associated with a lower risk of major amputation among Medicaid beneficiaries with DFUs.

Risk Factors for Prolonged Opioid Use After Ankle Fracture Surgery

BACKGROUND

The incidence of ankle fractures is increasing, and risk factors for prolonged opioid use after ankle fracture fixation are unknown. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors that lead to prolonged opioid use after surgery.

METHODS

The Truven MarketScan database was used to identify patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 based on CPT codes. Patient characteristics were collected, and patients separated into 3 cohorts based on postoperative opioid use (no refills, refills within 6 months postoperative, and refills within 1 year postoperatively). The χ2 test and multivariate analysis were performed to assess the association between risk factors and prolonged use.

RESULTS

In total, 34 691 patients were analyzed. Comorbidities most highly associated with prolonged opioid use include 2+ preoperative opioid prescriptions (odds ratio [OR] = 11.92; P < .001), tobacco use (OR = 2.03; P < .001), low back pain (OR = 1.81; P < .001), depression (OR = 1.48; P < .001), diabetes (OR = 1.34; P < .001), and alcohol abuse (OR = 1.32; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Opioid use after ankle fracture surgery is common and may be necessary; however, prolonged opioid use and development of dependence carries significant risk. Identifying those patients at an increased risk for prolonged opioid use can aid providers in tailoring their postoperative pain regimen.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic, Level III.

The role of preoperative opioid use in shoulder surgery-A systematic review

Background

Emerging evidence suggests preoperative opioid use may increase the risk of negative outcomes following orthopedic procedures. This systematic review evaluated the impact of preoperative opioid use in patients undergoing shoulder surgery with respect to preoperative clinical outcomes, postoperative complications, and postoperative dependence on opioids.

Methods

EMBASE, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL were searched from inception to April, 2021 for studies reporting preoperative opioid use and its effect on postoperative outcomes or opioid use. The search, data extraction and methodologic assessment were performed in duplicate for all included studies.

Results

Twenty-one studies with a total of 257,301 patients were included in the final synthesis. Of which, 17 were level III evidence. Of those, 51.5% of the patients reported pre-operative opioid use. Fourteen studies (66.7%) reported a higher likelihood of opioid use at follow-up among those used opioids preoperatively compared to preoperative opioid-naïve patients. Eight studies (38.1%) showed lower functional measurements and range of motion in opioid group compared to the non-opioid group post-operatively.

Conclusion

Preoperative opioid use in patients undergoing shoulder surgeries is associated with lower functional scores and post-operative range of motion. Most concerning is preoperative opioid use may predict increased post-operative opioid requirements and potential for misuse in patients.

Level of evidence

Level IV, Systematic review.

Patients With Functional Somatic Syndromes-Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Headaches, and Chronic Low Back Pain-Have Lower Outcomes and Higher Opioid Usage and Cost After Shoulder and Elbow Surgery

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review assessing the relationship between functional somatic syndromes (FSSs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), postoperative opioid consumption, and hospitalization costs after shoulder and elbow surgery.

METHODS

A systematic review of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines to identify all studies evaluating the effect of having at least 1 FSS (fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, chronic low back pain) on outcomes after shoulder and elbow surgeries. Outcomes of interest included postoperative analgesic use, PROMs, and hospitalization costs.

RESULTS

The review identified a total of 320 studies, of which 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants in our 8 included studies was 57,389. Three studies (n = 620) reported PROMs. These studies demonstrated that the presence of at least 1 FSS is predictive of significantly greater pain scores and lower quality of recovery, Disability Arm Shoulder and Hand, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Score, and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation scores postoperatively. Although scores were inferior in among patients with FSS, 2 of the 3 studies showed improvement in PROMs in this group of patients. Seven studies (n = 56,909) reported postoperative opioid use. Of these, 5 reported that a diagnosis of at least 1 FSS was a strong risk factor for long-term opioid use after surgery. One study (n = 480) found that time-driven activity-based costs were significantly greater in patients with FSSs.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with functional somatic syndromes have less-favorable PROMs postoperatively, consume more opioids postoperatively, and have greater health care costs after elective shoulder and elbow procedures. Although PROMs among patients with FSSs are inferior compared with those without FSSs, PROMs still improved compared with baseline.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, systematic review of Level II-III studies.

Preoperative Substance Use Disorder Is Associated With an Increase in 90-Day Postoperative Complications, 1-Year Revisions and Conversion to Arthroplasty Following Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Substance Use Disorder on the Rise

PURPOSE

The purpose of the current study was to use a nationwide administrative-claims database to characterize the substance use disorder trends of patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR). Additionally, we sought to evaluate the influence of preoperative substance use disorder on postoperative outcomes following arthroscopic RCR.

METHODS

The Mariner database was used to identify patients undergoing RCR using CPT codes, ages 18-84 years old, from 2010 to 2019. Patients were stratified by substance use, including cannabis, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, opioids, stimulants, or sedative, as defined by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Substance use disorders trends were reported. Postoperative outcomes assessed consisted of major complications, minor complications, infections, readmissions, and Emergency Department visits within 90 days of surgery. Additionally, postoperative stiffness, revision surgery, and conversion to arthroplasty within 1 year were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to control for demographic and comorbid factors.

RESULTS

Substance use trends from 2010 to 2019 show an increase in documentation of substance use in patients undergoing RCR. Individuals with a history of substance use disorder had an increased risk of adverse outcomes, most notably major medical complications (odds ratio [OR]: 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44-1.86; P < .001), revision surgery (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.30-1.56; P < .001), and conversion to arthroplasty (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.08-1.80; P = .009). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that cannabis users were at higher risk for major medical complications (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.15-2.56; P < .001), conversion to arthroplasty (OR: 3.54; 95% CI: 1.77-6.4; P < .001), and revision (OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.12-2.04; P < .05) compared to controls. Additionally, substance use was associated with higher medical costs in terms of procedural cost (β; $3634: $3,490-3,777) and 90-day postoperative costs (β: $436; $375-$498).

CONCLUSION

Documentation of substance use disorder is increasing in individuals undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Substance use is associated with higher rates of postoperative complications, overall costs, and revision surgery following arthroscopic RCR. Nicotine and cannabis use were most commonly associated with increased rates of postoperative complications and treatment failure.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV, retrospective therapeutic case series.

Application of risk assessment tools to predict opioid usage after shoulder surgery

Background

Currently 128 people die daily from opioid-related overdoses in the United States. This burden has instigated a search for viable means to guide postoperative prescription decision-making. The Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) and the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patient with Pain (SOAPP) are validated risk assessment tools to predict opioid usage in high-risk populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of these opioid risk assessments and pain intensity scores, including the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), to predict postoperative opioid use and dependence in shoulder surgery.

Methods

A retrospective review of 81 patients who underwent shoulder surgery and completed 3 preoperative risk and pain assessments within a single hospital system from 2018 to 2020 was performed. Demographic variables and ORT-O, SOAPP-R (the revised version of the SOAPP assessment), and PROMIS 3a scores were recorded from preoperative assessments. Opioid prescriptions were recorded from Electronic-Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substances Evaluation. Dependence was defined as opioid prescriptions at or greater than 3 months after surgery. Risk assessment scores were compared and tested against postoperative opioid prescriptions using statistical analyses and logistic regression modeling.

Results

In the cohort, there were 36 female and 45 male patients with an average age of 64.5 years and body mass index of 28.0. Preoperatively, the average pain score was 6.2, and 7.8% of patients reported prolonged preoperative narcotics use. The average ORT-O score was 3.0, with 35.8% of patients defined as either medium or high risk, and the average PROMIS pain intensity preoperatively was 10.8. Neither the ORT-O nor the PROMIS pain score were good predictors of postoperative opioid dependence (area under curve = 0.39 and 0.43, respectively). The SOAPP-R performed slightly better (area under curve = 0.70) and was the only assessment with significantly different mean scores between patients with postoperative opioid dependence and those without (33.4 and 24.5, respectively, P = .049) and a moderate correlation to postoperative total morphine equivalents (R = 0.46, P = .007).

Conclusion

With recent focus on preoperative risk assessments to predict postoperative opioid use and dependence, it is important to understand how well these tools work when applied to orthopedic patients. While the ORT may be helpful in other fields, it does not seem to be a strong predictor of postoperative opioid use or dependence in patients undergoing various types of shoulder surgery. Future studies are needed to explore the utility of the SOAPP-R in a larger sample and identify tools applicable to the orthopedic population to assist surgeons in screening at-risk patients.

Machine-learning model successfully predicts patients at risk for prolonged postoperative opioid use following elective knee arthroscopy

PURPOSE

Recovery following elective knee arthroscopy can be compromised by prolonged postoperative opioid utilization, yet an effective and validated risk calculator for this outcome remains elusive. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a machine-learning algorithm that can reliably and effectively predict prolonged opioid consumption in patients following elective knee arthroscopy.

METHODS

A retrospective review of an institutional outcome database was performed at a tertiary academic medical centre to identify adult patients who underwent knee arthroscopy between 2016 and 2018. Extended postoperative opioid consumption was defined as opioid consumption at least 150 days following surgery. Five machine-learning algorithms were assessed for the ability to predict this outcome. Performances of the algorithms were assessed through discrimination, calibration, and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, of the 381 patients included, 60 (20.3%) demonstrated sustained postoperative opioid consumption. The factors determined for prediction of prolonged postoperative opioid prescriptions were reduced preoperative scores on the following patient-reported outcomes: the IKDC, KOOS ADL, VR12 MCS, KOOS pain, and KOOS Sport and Activities. The ensemble model achieved the best performance based on discrimination (AUC = 0.74), calibration, and decision curve analysis. This model was integrated into a web-based open-access application able to provide both predictions and explanations.

CONCLUSION

Following appropriate external validation, the algorithm developed presently could augment timely identification of patients who are at risk of extended opioid use. Reduced scores on preoperative patient-reported outcomes, symptom duration and perioperative oral morphine equivalents were identified as novel predictors of prolonged postoperative opioid use. The predictive model can be easily deployed in the clinical setting to identify at risk patients thus allowing providers to optimize modifiable risk factors and appropriately counsel patients preoperatively.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Long-Term Opioid Use Following Surgery for Symptomatic Neuroma

BACKGROUND

 Identifying patients at risk for prolonged opioid use following surgery for symptomatic neuroma would be beneficial for perioperative management. The aim of this study is to identify the factors associated with postoperative opioid use of >4 weeks in patients undergoing neuroma surgery.

METHODS

 After retrospective identification, 77 patients who underwent surgery for symptomatic neuroma of the upper or lower extremity were enrolled. Patients completed the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) depression, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score, and a custom medication questionnaire at a median of 9.7 years (range: 2.5-16.8 years) following surgery. Neuroma excision followed by nerve implantation (n = 39, 51%), nerve reconstruction/repair (n = 18, 23%), and excision alone (n = 16, 21%) were the most common surgical treatments.

RESULTS

 Overall, 27% (n = 21) of patients reported opioid use of more than 4 weeks postoperatively. Twenty-three patients (30%) reported preoperative opioid use of which 11 (48%) did not report opioid use for >4 weeks, postoperatively. In multivariable logistic regression, preoperative opioid use was independently associated with opioid use of >4 weeks, postoperatively (odds ratio [OR] = 4.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36-14.3, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

 Neuroma surgery reduces opioid use in many patients but patients who are taking opioids preoperatively are at risk for longer opioid use. Almost one-third of patients reported opioid use longer than 4 weeks, postoperatively.

Fibromyalgia syndrome - a risk factor for poor outcomes following orthopaedic surgery: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex syndrome incorporating many features associated with poor outcome in orthopaedic surgery. Aim of the present review was to comprehensively characterize the available evidence on the consequences of pre-existent FM on the outcomes of orthopaedic surgery.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search in MedLine and Web of Science (WOS) to identify studies evaluating the effect of FM on patient-centred outcomes, opioids consumption and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

The search strategy identified 519 records in PubMed and 507 in WOS. A total of 27 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion in qualitative synthesis. Based on quality assessment, 10 studies were rated as good quality, 10 as fair quality and 7 as poor quality. Studies reporting the prevalence of FM in consecutive patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery (n = 19) were included in quantitative synthesis. The pooled prevalence of FM in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.4-6.8) in those receiving hip or knee surgery, 10.1% (95% CI: 5.7-17.2) in those receiving shoulder or elbow surgery and 21.0% (95% CI: 18.5-23.7) in those receiving spinal surgery. The results of our systematic review consistently report FM as a significant risk factor for less satisfaction, higher pain, worse functional outcome, increased risk for postoperative opioids prescription and higher rate of medical and surgical complications following orthopaedic surgery.

CONCLUSION

Identifying pre-existing FM in patients scheduled for elective orthopaedic surgery may help to better assess the benefit/risk ratio, improve patients' awareness and minimize any discrepancy between expectancy and results.

Editorial Commentary: Opioid Sparing Through Patient Education Programs Is the Future for Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery to Optimize Outcome

Opioid research in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery has exploded in the last few years. The literature definitively shows that preoperative opioid usage-in so-called opioid exposed, tolerant, and familiar patients-increases postoperative usage, readmission rates, and medical complications, yielding poorer outcome. Strategies to combat the deleterious effects of preoperative opioid use should be used to include ownership and acknowledgment of the problem, adherence to opioid prescribing protocols, and use of a multimodal anesthesia program that can mitigate the adverse effects by limiting abuse and preventing potential poor outcome. Adding patient education programs to change patient modifiable risk factors shows promise while simultaneously optimizing appropriate patient expectations that are linked to increased outcome. Thus, opioid mitigation, sparing, or altogether avoidance through improved education programs and opioid prescribing protocols will likely be the future of sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery to optimize patient outcome.

Clinical Outcomes Associated With Preoperative Opioid Use in Various Shoulder Surgical Procedures: A Systematic Review

Background:

The impact of preoperative opioid use on outcomes after shoulder surgery is unknown.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

To examine the role of preoperative opioid use on outcomes in patients after shoulder surgery. We hypothesized that preoperative opioid use in shoulder surgery will result in increased postoperative pain and functional deficits when compared with nonuse.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A systematic review was performed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Included were all English-language studies comparing clinical outcomes of shoulder surgery in patients who used opioids preoperatively (opioid group) as well as patients who did not (nonopioid group) with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Outcomes included range of motion, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant-Murley score, and visual analog scale for pain. Study quality was evaluated with the Modified Coleman Methodology Score and the MINORS score (Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies).

Results:

Included were 5 studies (level 2, n = 1; level 3, n = 4): Two studies were on total shoulder arthroplasty, 2 on reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, 1 on both, and 1 on arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. There were 827 patients overall: 290 in the opioid group (age, 63.2 ± 4.0 years [mean ± SD]; follow-up, 38.9 ± 7.5 months) and 537 in the nonopioid group (age, 66.0 ± 4.7 years; follow-up, 39.5 ± 8.1 months). The opioid group demonstrated significantly worse pre- and postoperative visual analog scale and Constant-Murley score pain scores as compared with the nonopioid group. Mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores were significantly lower in the opioid group at pre- and postoperative time points as compared with the nonopioid group (P < .05 for all). However, both groups experienced similar improvement in outcomes pre- to postoperatively. One study showed that the opioid group consumed significantly more opioids postoperatively than the nonopioid group and for a longer duration (P < .05). The overall mean Modified Coleman Methodology Score and MINORS score were 64.2 ± 14 and 15.8 ± 1.0, respectively.

Conclusion:

Opioid use prior to various shoulder surgical procedures negatively affected postoperative pain and functionality. Although the opioid group showed significantly worse scores postoperatively, the groups experienced similar improvements.

Preoperative Opioid Usage, Male Sex, and Preexisting Knee Osteoarthritis Impacts Opioid Refills After Isolated Arthroscopic Meniscectomy: A Population-Based Study

PURPOSE

To identify risk factors for opioid consumption after arthroscopic meniscectomy using a large national database.

METHODS

Patients undergoing primary arthroscopic meniscectomy from 2007 to 2016 were retrospectively accessed from the Humana database. Patients were categorized as those who filled opioid prescriptions within 3 months (OU), within 1 month (A-OU), between 1 and 3 months (C-OU), and never filled opioid prescriptions (N-OU) before surgery. Rates of opioid use were evaluated preoperatively and longitudinally tracked for each cohort. Prolonged opioid use was defined as continued opioid prescription filling at ≥3 months after surgery. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with opioid refills at 12 months after surgery.

RESULTS

There were 88,120 patients (53.7% female) who underwent arthroscopic meniscectomy, of whom 46.1% (n = 39,078) were N-OU. About a quarter (25.3%) of patients continued filling opioid prescriptions at 1 year postoperatively. In addition, opioid fill rate at 1 year was significantly greater in the OU group compared with the N-OU group with a relative risk of 2.89 (40.7% vs 14.1%; 95% confidence interval 2.81-2.98; P < .0001). Multiple logistic regression model identified C-OU (odds ratio 3.67; 95% confidence interval 3.53-3.82; P < .0001) as the strongest predictor of opioid use at 12 months postoperatively. Furthermore, male sex, A-OU, knee osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fibromyalgia, anxiety or depression, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco use (P < .02 for all) had significantly increased odds of opioid use at 12 months postoperatively. However, patients <40 years (P < .0001) had significantly decreased odds of opioid use 12 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative opioid filling is a significant risk factor for opioid use at 12 months postoperatively. Male sex, preexisting knee osteoarthritis, and diagnosis of anxiety or depression were independent risk factors for opioid use 12 months following arthroscopic meniscectomy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level-III, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Preoperative Opioid Prescription Filling Is a Risk Factor for Prolonged Opioid Use After Elbow Arthroscopy

PURPOSE

To (1) report the frequency of postoperative opioid prescriptions after elbow arthroscopy, (2) evaluate whether filling opioid prescriptions preoperatively placed patients at increased risk of requiring more opioid prescriptions after surgery, and (3) determine patient factors associated with postoperative opioid prescription needs.

METHODS

A national claims-based database was queried for patients undergoing primary elbow arthroscopy. Patients with prior total elbow arthroplasty or septic arthritis of the elbow were excluded. Patients who filled at least 1 opioid prescription between 1 and 4 months prior to surgery were defined as the preoperative opioid-use group. Monthly relative risk ratios for filling an opioid prescription were calculated for the first year after surgery. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with opioid use at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after elbow arthroscopy, with P < .05 defined as significant.

RESULTS

We identified 1,138 patients who underwent primary elbow arthroscopy. The preoperative opioid-use group consisted of 245 patients (21.5%), 61 of whom (24.9%) were still filling opioid prescriptions 12 months after surgery. The multivariate analysis determined that the preoperative opioid-use group was at increased risk of postoperative opioid prescription filling at 3 months (odds ratio [OR], 9.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.98-13.76), 6 months (OR, 8.74; 95% CI, 5.57-13.92), 9 months (OR, 7.17; 95% CI, 4.57-11.39), and 12 months (OR, 6.27; 95% CI, 3.94-10.07) after elbow arthroscopy. Patients younger than 40 years exhibited a decreased risk of postoperative opioid prescription filling at 3 months (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25-0.91), 6 months (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.06-0.50), 9 months (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.22-0.97), and 12 months (OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.19-0.94) after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative opioid filling, fibromyalgia, and psychiatric illness are associated with an increased risk of prolonged postoperative opioid after elbow arthroscopy. Patient age younger than 40 years and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are associated with a decreased risk of postoperative opioid prescription filling within the first postoperative year.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, retrospective cohort study.

National Trends in Use of Regional Anesthesia and Postoperative Patterns of Opioid Prescription Filling in Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Procedure-Specific Analysis in Patients With or Without Recent Opioid Exposure

Background

There are few large database studies on national trends in regional anesthesia for various arthroscopic shoulder procedures and the effect of nerve blocks on the postoperative rate of opioid prescription filling.

Hypothesis

The use of regional nerve block will decrease the rate of opioid prescription filling after various shoulder arthroscopic procedures. Also, the postoperative pattern of opioid prescription filling will be affected by the preoperative opioid prescription-filling history.

Study Design

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods

Patient data from Humana, a large national private insurer, were queried via PearlDiver software, and a retrospective review was conducted from 2007 through 2015. Patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder procedures were identified through Current Procedural Terminology codes. Nerve blocks were identified by relevant codes for single-shot and indwelling catheter blocks. The blocked and unblocked cases were age and sex matched to compare the pain medication prescription-filling pattern. Postoperative opioid trends (up to 6 months) were compared by regression analysis.

Results

We identified 82,561 cases, of which 54,578 (66.1%) included a peripheral nerve block. Of the patients who received a block, 508 underwent diagnostic shoulder arthroscopy; 2449 had labral repair; 4746 had subacromial decompression procedure; and 12,616 underwent rotator cuff repair. The percentage of patients undergoing a nerve block increased linearly over the 9-year study period (R ² = 0.77; P = .002). After matching across the 2 cohorts, there was an identical trend in opioid prescription filling between blocked and unblocked cases (P = .95). When subdivided by procedure, there was no difference in the trends between blocked and unblocked cases (P = .52 for diagnostic arthroscopies; P = .24 for labral procedures; P = .71 for subacromial decompressions; P = .34 for rotator cuff repairs). However, when preoperative opioid users were isolated, postoperative opioid prescription filling was found to be less common in the first 2 weeks after surgery when a nerve block was given versus not given (P < .001).

Conclusion

An increasing percentage of shoulder arthroscopies are being performed with regional nerve blocks. However, there was no difference in patterns of filled postoperative opioid prescriptions between blocked and unblocked cases, except for the subgroup of patients who had filled an opioid prescription within 1 to 3 months prior to shoulder arthroscopy. Future research should focus on recording the amount of prescribed opioids consumed in national databases to reinforce our strategy against the opioid epidemic.