Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
The study, published today in JAMA Cardiology, also revealed a direct link between the dosage of opioids–or oral morphine equivalent (OME)–first prescribed following discharge and the likelihood of persistent opioid use 90 to 180 days after the procedure.
