Total hip arthroplasty patients who received bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension, a local anesthetic, reported lower postoperative opioid consumption than patients who didn't receive the injection, according to research published in the American Journal of Medical Economics.
Researchers used the Premier Healthcare Database to conduct a retrospective analysis of data from 12,589 total hip arthroplasty patients from 10 hospitals. The researchers compared data from 6,270 patients who received bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension to outcomes from 6,319 total hip arthroplasty patients who did not receive the injections. The patient population included both Medicare and commercial payer beneficiaries who underwent surgery from January 2011 through April 2017.
Four study details:
1. Researchers found Medicare and commercial insurance beneficiaries had decreased opioid consumption compared to patients who did not receive the injection.
2. There was a decrease in the average length of hospital stay by .7 days for patients who received the injection.
3. Medicare patients that received the injection reported $561 lower costs on average than patients in the non-injection group, while total hospitalization costs were $41 higher on average for the commercial payer beneficiaries that received the injection, compared to those who did not.
4. Both Medicare patients and those on commercial insurance who received the injection were more likely to be discharged home following surgery than those who didn't.