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Annually, more than 200 million patients undergo major surgery worldwide. Many patients require treatment with opiates for moderate-to-severe postoperative pain; most quickly transition off of pain medications. However, the number of opiate-naïve patients who remain on chronic opioids postoperatively is unknown.
Researchers conducted a retrospective, observational study of older patients (age ≥66) with no prior use of opioids who underwent one of nine major elective surgical procedures (cardiac, intrathoracic, abdominal, or pelvic) in Ontario, Canada, during a 7-year period. Among >39,000 patients analyzed, 49% were discharged with opioid prescriptions, and 3% used opioids for >90 days following surgery. Type of surgical procedure was associ…