The study included 475 patients from 18 surgical centers who underwent ASD surgery between 2008 and 2015.
Spine published the study.
Here are six things to know.
1. Forty-four percent of the patients self-reported daily pre-surgery opioid use.
2. Patients taking narcotic opioids were older on average than non-daily users.
3. Thirty-seven percent of daily narcotic users suffered from depression compared to 14 percent of non-daily users.
4. Researchers found daily opioid users had more comorbidities as well as greater back pain and disability.
5. Daily opioid users faced a 70 percent higher chance of an extended length of stay compared to non-daily users. Additionally, daily users had an average of a 16-hour longer stay in the intensive care unit and 690 percent higher chance of using opioids daily at two-year follow up.
6. The researchers note self-reports of opioid use may be unreliable.
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