BACKGROUND: Opioids are commonly prescribed for postoperative pain following total joint arthroplasty. Despite widespread use, few studies have examined the dose-dependent effect of perioperative opioid use on postoperative complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Therefore, we examined the dose-dependent relationship between opioid use and postoperative complications following primary THA and TKA.
METHODS: We queried the Premier Healthcare Database to identify adult patients who underwent primary elective THA or TKA from 2004 to 2014, and quantified opioid consumption within the first 3 postoperative days. Opioid consumption was standardized to morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs). Patients were divided into quintiles on the basis of MME exposure: <54, 54 to 82, 83 to 116, 117 to 172, and >172 MMEs. Primary outcomes included postoperative periprosthetic joint infection, pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, and pulmonary complications. Secondary outcomes included wound infection, wound dehiscence, and readmission within 30 and 90 days postoperatively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare differences between groups and to account for confounders.
RESULTS: A total of 1,525,985 patients were identified. The mean age was 65.7 ± 10.8 years, 598,320 patients (39.2%) were male, and 1,174,314 patients (77.0%) were Caucasian. On multiple logistic regression analysis, increasing MME exposure was associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of postoperative complications. Compared with patients receiving <54 MMEs, exposure to >172 MMEs was associated with greater odds of periprosthetic joint infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 1.42), deep venous thromboembolism (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.30 to 1.38), pulmonary embolism (aOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.34), and pulmonary complications (aOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.08). Exposure to >172 MMEs was associated with increased risk of wound infection (aOR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.41), wound dehiscence (aOR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.31), and readmission within 30 (aOR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.22) and 90 days (aOR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.21).
CONCLUSIONS: Increasing opioid use within the early postoperative period following THA or TKA was associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of periprosthetic joint infection and venous thromboembolic events.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
