Study Published on TJR Opioid Use

“One in 14 patients who use opioids before total hip or knee replacement surgery become persistent users during the year after their operation, according to a study published April 19 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage,” reported Medscape this week. Using data from the United HealthCare/Optum Clinformatics Data Mart Database, researchers determined that about 87% of patients used opioids before surgery and 7.6% continued use one year after surgery. Full story.