Preoperative chronic opiate use associated with a worse joint-specific function and quality of life before and after total hip and knee arthroplasty
Aims: The aim of this study was to assess whether chronic pre-arthroplasty use of strong opiates impacted the pre- and postoperative joint-specific function, quality of life (QoL), pain scores, and satisfaction in those undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Metho...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Bone & Joint Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/epdf/10.1302/2633-1462.64.BJO-2024-0250.R1 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Aims: The aim of this study was to assess whether chronic pre-arthroplasty use of strong opiates impacted the pre- and postoperative joint-specific function, quality of life (QoL), pain scores, and satisfaction in those undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: This prospective study assessed 1,487 patients (THA n = 729; TKA n = 758). Preoperative opiate use of more than a month was used to define the opioid group. Patient demographics, comorbidities, Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), and EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) scores were collected preoperatively and at six months postoperatively. Patient satisfaction with their joint was assessed at six months. Results: The opioid groups consisted of 95 patients in both the THA (13.0%) and TKA (12.5%) cohorts. Pre- and postoperative OHS, OKS, and EQ-5D were clinically (greater than the minimal clinically important difference) and statistically (p < 0.001) significantly worse for the opioid groups undergoing THA and TKA. The opioid group was independently associated with a significantly worse improvement in OHS (−3.0, 95% CI −4.8 to −1.2; p = 0.001) and EQ-5D (−0.089, 95% CI −0.132 to −0.041; p < 0.001) for those undergoing THA, but no significant (OKS, p = 0.650 and EQ-5D, p = 0.485) association was demonstrated in the TKA cohort. There was no difference in satisfaction with their arthroplasty between opioid and opiate-naive groups undergoing THA (p = 0.133) or TKA (p = 0.797). Conclusion: Preoperative opiate use was associated with clinically significantly worse pre- and postoperative joint-specific function and QoL. Those undergoing THA had a clinically worse improvement in their joint-specific function, but this was not observed in those undergoing TKA. However, patients were equally satisfied with outcomes. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2025;6(4):405–412. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2633-1462 |