Title
Reduction in narcotic use after primary total knee arthroplasty and association with patient pain relief and satisfaction
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation; Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Date
6-29-2010
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Narcotics; Pain; Pain, Postoperative; Patient Satisfaction
Disciplines
Orthopedics | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Abstract
We examined the prevalence of narcotic use before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and its association with post-TKA pain relief and satisfaction. Data on 6364 primary, unilateral TKA patients in a national registry were analyzed. Before TKA, 24% of patients were prescribed one form of narcotic. Of these, 14% reported continued narcotic use at 12 months after TKA, whereas the majority discontinued use. Only 3% of patients who did not use narcotics before TKA had a narcotics prescription at 12 months. Patients who used narcotics before TKA were more likely to have a narcotic prescription at 12 months post-TKA, reported greater pain at 12 months, and were more likely to be dissatisfied with TKA outcome. These findings have implications for patient pre-TKA counseling.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Arthroplasty. 2010 Sep;25(6 Suppl):12-6. Epub 2010 Jun 26. Link to article on publisher's site