Opioid Requirement After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery: Opioid Use After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery Is Low With a Multimodal Approach, and Fifteen Oxycodone 5-mg Tablets Are Sufficient.

Purpose: To prospectively determine opioid consumption in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair and reconstruction and to develop evidence-based prescription guidelines following ACL surgery. Methods: This multicenter prospective study enrolled patients undergoing ACL reconstruction and repair. Subject demographics and opioid prescriptions were recorded at enrollment. All patients were given education on opiate use and followed the same perioperative, multimodal analgesic regimen. Following surgery, patients were given postoperative "pain journals" to document visual analog scale pain scores and daily opioid consumption for the first 7 postoperative days and on postoperative visit at 14 days. Results: In total, 50 patients were included in this analysis between the ages of 14 and 65 years. Patients were prescribed a median of 15 oxycodone 5-mg pills and consumed a median of 2 pill postoperatively (range 0-19 pills). 38% of patients consumed 0 opioid pills, 74% of patients consumed ≤5 opioid pills, and 96% of patients consumed ≤15 opioid pills. Patients reported a mean daily visual analog scale value of 2.8 of 10; mean satisfaction with pain management was high at 4.1/5 on a Likert satisfaction score. Overall, patients consumed a mean 34% of their opioid prescriptions, leaving 436 opioid pills not consumed. Conclusions: This study suggests that current expert panels may be recommending an excessive volume of opioids. Based on our findings, we recommend that patients be prescribed no more than 15 Oxycodone 5-mg tablets following ACL surgery. Despite this lower volume prescription, mean pain scores remained below 3 of 10, patient satisfaction with pain control remained high, and 66% of opiate medication prescribed was not used. Level of Evidence: II, prospective prognostic cohort investigation.

Opioid Consumption After Knee Arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: To prospectively observe opioid consumption in patients undergoing knee arthroscopy and to create an evidence-based guideline for opioid prescription. METHODS: This prospective multicenter observational study enrolled patients undergoing outpatient knee arthroscopy for meniscal repair, meniscectomy, or chondroplasty. Patients were provided with a pain journal to record postoperative opioid consumption, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) pain scores, and Likert scale satisfaction scores for 1 week postoperatively. State databases were reviewed for additional opioid prescriptions. RESULTS: One hundred patients were included in this study. Patients were prescribed a median of 5 pills (37.5 oral morphine equivalent [OME]). Median postoperative opioid consumption was 0 pills, with a mean of 0.6 pills (4.4 OME), and 74% of patients did not consume any opioid medication postoperatively. All patients consumed ≤5 pills (37.5 OME), and no patient required a refill. Patients reported a mean daily NPRS value of 1.9 out of 10 and a mean Likert score of 4.4 out of 5. CONCLUSION: We found that current opioid prescribing habits exceed the need for postoperative pain management. Overall, all patients consumed ≤5 opioid pills, and 92% of patients discontinued opioids by the second postoperative day. In spite of the low prescription quantity, patients reported high satisfaction rates and low NPRS pain scores and required no refills. Therefore, we recommend that patients undergoing knee arthroscopy are prescribed no more than 5 oxycodone 5-mg pills. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II, prospective prognostic cohort investigation.

Opioid Use After Knee Arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: To quantify the use of 5 mg oxycodone by patients who have undergone knee arthroscopy. METHODS: Patients who underwent knee arthroscopy at 2 institutions between May 2018 and May 2019 were identified retrospectively. Patients were called and queried about the following metrics: total postoperative opioid consumption, preoperative opioid consumption (defined as within 3 months of surgery), smoking status, and history of depression. The total number of opioids prescribed and number of refills were determined according to each patient's chart. State databases were reviewed for additional opioid prescriptions. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were included in this study. Patients were prescribed a median of 5 pills (range, 5 to 40). Median postoperative opioid consumption was 0 pills, with a mean of 1.9 pills (14.3 oral morphine equivalents) and a range of 0 to 25 pills of oxycodone 5 mg. Of the patients, 97% did not obtain refills, and 58% of the patients did not consume any opioids. Overall, 90% of all patients consumed ≤ 5 pills. CONCLUSIONS: Of the patients, 90% o consumed 5 or fewer opioid pills (oxycodone 5 mg) following knee arthroscopy, with more than half of the patients consuming 0 pills. As a result, we recommend that 5 oxycodone 5 mg pills serve as an objective guideline for opioid prescription following knee arthroscopy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.