Taking Opioids Prior to TJA Increases Readmission Risk

Patients who take prescription opioids for more than 60 days before total knee or hip replacement surgery are at significantly higher risk of being readmitted to the hospital and of undergoing repeat joint-replacement surgery, compared to patients with no preoperative opioid use, reports a study in the July 18 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The study included approximately 324,000 patients who underwent TKA (233,000 patients) or THA (91,000) between 2003 and 2014. All patients had at least one year of follow-up data, while about 160,000 patients had three years of follow-up. Full story.