Prescription opioids linked to majority of opioid overdoses

More than two-thirds of all opioid overdoses presenting to U.S. emergency departments in 2010 involved prescription opioids, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Of the 135,971 ED visits for opioid overdoses identified, 67.8% involved a prescription opioid (including methadone), 16.1% involved heroin, 13.4% involved unspecified opioids, and 2.7% involved multiple types of opioids, said Michael A. Yokell of Stanford (Calif.) University and his associates (JAMA Intern. Med. 2014 Oct. 27 [doi:10.1001/jamainternmed2014.5413]).

The analysis also showed “marked regional variation in overdose patterns, with the highest burdens of prescription overdose found in the South and West,” the investigators said.

The mean charge for inpatient stays for all overdoses was more than $29,800, with a mean length of stay of 3.8 days. The total cost for all inpatient stays was $2.05 billion, with $1.25 billion going for visits involving prescription opioids and an additional $267 million for visits involving methadone. ED visits involving heroin cost $151 million and visits involving unspecified or multiple opioid types cost $375 million, according to data from the 2010 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample.

The study was funded by Stanford University and by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Institutes of Health; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. One of the investigators reported employment in the past year with Inflexxion. No other disclosures were reported.

r.franki@frontlinemedcom.com