A panel of experts from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University created the nation's first operation-specific opioid prescribing guidelines, which were published Aug. 14 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
The panel comprising 30 patients and healthcare providers recommended an opioid regimen for adult patients undergoing 20 common procedures, including breast surgery, thoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery and cardiac surgery.
The guidelines are designed for patients who had uncomplicated operations, experienced no chronic pain before surgery and had no previous exposure to opioids. The recommendations apply to pills equivalent to 5 mg of oxycodone.
Panelists recommended the following ranges:
- One to 15 opioid tablets for 11 of the 20 procedures,
- Sixteen to 20 tablets for 6 of the 20 procedures
- Zero tablets for three of the 20 procedures
They advised prescribing the highest range of opioids for orthopedic surgery and the lowest for otolaryngology procedures. The panel determined three of the four orthopedic procedures analyzed warranted zero to 20 pills.