Risk Factors for Prolonged Opioid Use Following Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Narrative Review of Recent Literature

OBJECTIVE: To provide pharmacists and other health care professionals with the knowledge required to minimize the risk of prolonged opioid use following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). DATA SOURCES: A literature search of PubMed and Embase was performed, and included the search terms: (opioid OR opiate OR opium) AND (risk factor OR predict*) AND (arthroplasty OR replacement) NOT shoulder. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Randomized control trials, cohort studies (both prospective and retrospective), systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were included if risk ratios (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) were reported and published within the last 5 years. DATA SYNTHESIS: ]Twenty studies met inclusion criteria, including 2 meta-analyses and 2 prospective studies. There were several risk factors that overlapped between studies and presented clinically significant risks for prolonged opioid use following THA and TKA surgery. Of these, age < 65 (RRs: 1.15-9.36), preoperative opioid use (RRs: 1.09-7.81), larger quantities of opioids prescribed at discharge (RRs: 1.26-8.81), and TKA surgery (RRs: 1.73-6.07) were the most significant. Several risk factors were recently described, including migraines (RRs: 1.14-5.11) and fibromyalgia (RRs: 1.1-2.3) that may be of interest for further research. RELEVANCE TO PATIENT CARE AND CLINICAL PRACTICE: This review presents a discussion of the factors associated with prolonged opioid use following THA and TKA surgeries, which are among the most common orthopedic surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: Prescribers should carefully consider patient-specific factors when prescribing opioids as there are several factors, including age, surgery type, and medical conditions that can predispose patients to prolonged opioid use.