Risk Factors for Opioid-Related Adverse Drug Events Among Older Adults After Hospitalization for Major Orthopedic Procedures

ObjectivesOlder adults undergoing orthopedic procedures are commonly discharged from the hospital on opioids, but risk factors for postdischarge opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) have not been previously examined. We aimed to identify risk factors for ORADEs after hospital discharge following orthopedic procedures.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older, who underwent major orthopedic surgery during hospitalization in 2016 and had an opioid fill within 2 days of discharge. We excluded beneficiaries with hospice claims and those admitted from or discharged to a facility. We used billing codes and medication claims to define potential ORADEs requiring a hospital revisit within 30 days of discharge.ResultsAmong 30,514 hospitalizations with a major orthopedic procedure (89.7% arthroplasty, 5.6% treatment of fracture of dislocation, 4.7% other) and an opioid claim, a potential ORADE requiring hospital revisit occurred in 750 (2.5%). Independent risk factors included age of 80 years or older (hazard ratio [HR], 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-1.97), female sex (HR, 1.34 [1.16-1.56]), and clinical conditions, including heart failure (HR, 1.34 [1.10-1.62]), respiratory illness (HR, 1.23 [1.03-1.46]), kidney disease (HR, 1.23 [1.04-1.47]), dementia/delirium (HR, 1.63 [1.26-2.10]), anxiety disorder (HR, 1.42 [1.18-1.71]), and musculoskeletal/nervous system injuries (HR, 1.54 [1.24-1.90]). Prior opioid use, coprescribed sedating medications, and opioid prescription characteristics were not associated with ORADEs after adjustment for patient characteristics.ConclusionsPotential ORADEs occurred in 2.5% of older adults discharged with opioids after orthopedic surgery. These risk factors can inform clinician decision making, conversations with older adults, and targeting of harm reduction strategies.