For their study, researchers analyzed data from 381 U.S. hospitals and identified adult patients who underwent common soft tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures and received opioids from Sept. 2008-Aug. 2010. The researchers found approximately 20 percent of the surgical patients experienced an opioid-related adverse event, which includes nausea, vomiting and constipation.
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The researchers also found patients who experienced an opioid-related adverse event had a 1.1-day increase in mean length of stay and a $1,028 mean increase from the baseline hospitalization cost compared to patients who did not experience an opioid-related adverse event.
Related Articles on Adverse Events:
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