Clinical trial NCT03236155: Comparing Opioid Prescription Patterns in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients
Official title: Comparing Opioid Prescription Patterns in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Postoperative Pain
Keywords: Opioids
Lead sponsor: Rush University Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-08-01
Enrollment: 304
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The United States constitutes \<5% of the world's population but over 80% of the opioid supply and 99% of the hydrocodone supply. In 2014, there were 18,893 deaths from prescription drug overdose, and orthopaedic surgeons are the third highest prescribing physicians for opioids. Surgeons often prescribe opioids to minimize postoperative pain and to reduce the likelihood of readmission for pain. Available data suggests that orthopaedic surgeons are the most likely physicians to prescribe opioids to Medicare patients, whose opioid prescriptions are over 7 times more likely to come from an orthopaedic surgeon than another type of physician, but orthopaedic surgeons also had the highest readmission rate for post-operative pain. Many studies have investigated the utilization of opioids after surgery to assess surgeon's tendencies to overprescribe, demographics of those likely to overuse, and adverse events of opioid abusers.

The primary purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to determine whether prescribing fewer opioid pills per prescription reduces the total amount of opioids taken, even while allowing equal total opioid availability via increased frequency of prescription availability.

Detailed description: A recent paper by Kim et al prospectively investigated opioid utilization after upper extremity surgery. This study (n=1,416) showed an opioid utilization rate of just 34%, taking an average 8.1 pills out of 24 prescribed. Patients age 30-39, those having joint procedures, upper extremity/shoulder surgery, or self-pay/Medicaid insurance were all far more likely to overuse opioids. The study concluded that their surgeons prescribed 3 times the required opioid following surgery and gave recommendations for opioid distribution based on location, procedure type, and patient risk factors. This study's identification of over prescription is congruent with a study completed by Bates et al that showed 67% of patients had a surplus of medications, with 92% not receiving proper medication disposal instructions.

Other recent literature has attempted to risk stratify patients who are more likely to abuse prescription opioids. Morris et al identified various risk factors including: family history of substance abuse, nicotine dependency, age \<45, psychiatric disorders, and lower level of education. These risk factors are associated with aberrant behaviors (non-compliance, early refill request, "lost or stolen" medication), which should raise concerns for any provider prescribing opioids.

Studies have shown that patients who are on chronic opioid therapy before surgery have worse outcomes. Nicholas Bedard et al compared chronic opioids users (n= 35,068) versus those who were opioid-naïve at the time of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and found the opioid group had more opioid scripts filled per patient at discharge as well as at 3, 6, and 9 months (0.63 scripts/patient vs. 1.2 scripts/patient, p\<0.05). These patients also had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (p\<0.05) and higher rates of respiratory failure, acute kidney failure, pneumonia, all post-operative infections, and infections requiring return to the OR. The study concluded patients should have their opioid consumption controlled during the pre-operative and peri-operative period.

In addition to the complications of opioid medications experienced by orthopaedic patients, a recent nationwide retrospective analysis presents an unintended yet severe problem associated with opioid prescriptions. The incidence of pediatric hospitalizations for opioid toxicity nearly tripled from 1997 to 2012. The over-prescription of opioids creates a readily available source for accidental ingestion by younger children and for intentional opioid overdose by older pediatric/adolescent patients. In fact, a family member's leftover pills have been described as the number one source for pediatric opioid overdose. Moreover, the Center for Disease Control reported that in 2015 the U.S. saw its highest incidence of opioid-related death.9 Given the frequency and severity of opioid diversion and misuse, orthopaedic surgeons should consider the best methods for controlling patients postoperative pain and also avoid facilitating opiate misuse, whether by orthopaedic patients or other community members. With this goal in mind, our study will investigate regimens for effective postoperative pain control that also minimize the total amount of opioids prescribed.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* any patient \> 18 years of age scheduled for primary total hip or knee arthroplasty who is not consuming opioids during the 4 weeks prior to surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

* patients consuming opioids during the 4 weeks prior to surgery
* patients who are allergic to oxycodone or refuse to take oxycodone
* patients with a history of opioid dependence or illegal or "off-label" opioid use
* patients undergoing a revision total knee or total hip arthroplasty
* any patient less than 18 years of age

Primary outcomes:
measure: Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) of Oxycodone Tablets Taken by Patient
timeFrame: 30 days
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Postoperative Patient Reported Outcomes of Opioid naïve Patients Undergoing THA or TKA Between August 2017 and April 2018
timeFrame: 90 days post operative (higher values represent better functioning total hip or total knee replacements).
measure: Complications
timeFrame: 90 days from time of surgery
measure: Compliance
timeFrame: 90 days
measure: Preoperative Patient Reported Outcomes
timeFrame: 10 days prior to surgery (higher values represent better functioning total hip or total knee replacements).
measure: Postoperative Outpatient Pain Scores
timeFrame: Days 1-3, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3-4 weeks post discharge from surgery
measure: Postoperative Inpatient Opioid Utilization
timeFrame: from time of surgery to discharge from hospital (1 day - 2 weeks)
measure: Postoperative Inpatient Pain Scores
timeFrame: assessed daily from time of surgery to discharge from hospital (1 days - 2 weeks), Day 14 scores reported
measure: Number of Tablets Received From Pharmacy That Went Unused
timeFrame: 90 days
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Chicago
country: United States
facility: Rush University Medical Center
state: Illinois
Study officials:
References:
citation: Kim N, Matzon JL, Abboudi J, Jones C, Kirkpatrick W, Leinberry CF, Liss FE, Lutsky KF, Wang ML, Maltenfort M, Ilyas AM. A Prospective Evaluation of Opioid Utilization After Upper-Extremity Surgical Procedures: Identifying Consumption Patterns and Determining Prescribing Guidelines. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016 Oct 19;98(20):e89. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.15.00614.
citation: Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts & Figures. American Society of Addiction Medicine. Retrieved from: http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioidaddiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf
citation: Morris BJ, Mir HR. The opioid epidemic: impact on orthopaedic surgery. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2015 May;23(5):267-71. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-14-00163.
citation: Bedard Nicholas, Callaghan John, Pugely Andrew, Martin Christopher, Duchman Kyle, Westermann Robert, Gao Yubo. Pre-Opioid Use: Is There an Association with Outcomes Following Total Knee Arthroplasty? In: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting; 2016 Mar 1-5; Orlando, FL. Presentation nr P161
citation: Bates C, Laciak R, Southwick A, Bishoff J. Overprescription of postoperative narcotics: a look at postoperative pain medication delivery, consumption and disposal in urological practice. J Urol. 2011 Feb;185(2):551-5. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2010.09.088. Epub 2010 Dec 18.
citation: Opioid Use, Misuse, and Abuse in Orthopaedic Practice. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. October 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.aaos.org/uploadedFiles/PreProduction/About/Opinion_Statements/adv istmt/1045%20Opioid%20Use,%20Misuse,%20and%20Abuse%20in%20Practice .pdf
citation: Gaither JR, Leventhal JM, Ryan SA, Camenga DR. National Trends in Hospitalizations for Opioid Poisonings Among Children and Adolescents, 1997 to 2012. JAMA Pediatr. 2016 Dec 1;170(12):1195-1201. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2154.
citation: Moreno MA. Page for patients. The misuse of prescription pain medicine among children and teens. JAMA Pediatr. 2015 May;169(5):512. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.2128. No abstract available.
citation: Retrieved on 12/9/16 from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2016/12/08/continued-rise-opioid-overdose-deaths-2015-shows-urgentneed-treatment
citation: Della Valle CJ, Dittle E, Moric M, Sporer SM, Buvanendran A. A prospective randomized trial of mini-incision posterior and two-incision total hip arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2010 Dec;468(12):3348-54. doi: 10.1007/s11999-010-1491-5. Epub 2010 Jul 29.