Can J Anaesth 2022 Jun 29. Epub 2022 Jun 29.
Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Purpose: Postdischarge opioid prescriptions are reportedly much higher in Canada than in other countries. To assess potentially contributing factors, we examined trends after abdominal and orthopedic surgeries in British Columbia (BC).
Methods: Using the BC Ministry of Health's databases on physician billings, hospital discharge abstracts, and medication dispensations in community pharmacies for the period 2003-2016, we assembled a cohort of 263,056 patients who received laparoscopic appendectomy (LA, 11%), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC, 30%), open inguinal or femoral hernia repair (IHR, 20%), total hip arthroplasty (THA, 18%), or total knee arthroplasty (TKA, 22%). Read More