The United States is in the grips of what some have dubbed an opioid epidemic. New research explores how pediatric surgical patients fit into this bleak picture.
Across all age groups, opioid prescriptions have been steadily rising since the 1990s. This has, in turn, led to an increase in opioid addiction and, consequently, opioid-related deaths and heroin use.
Between 1997 and 2012, adolescent opioid use rose by 176 percent and heroin use rose by 161 percent.
