Elective surgery fuelling chronic opioid use

Elective surgery is the likely catalyst for new-onset opioid dependency for an estimated 13,000 Australians a year, researchers say.
In a study of 4000 patients who were discharged from hospital on opioids post-surgery, they found that 3.9% were still using the agents more than three months later.
“Opioid initiation post-surgical hospital admission leads to chronic use of opioids in a small percentage of the population,” said the authors from the University of SA’s Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre.
“However, given the frequency at which surgical procedures occur, this means that a large number of people in the population may be affected.”