Opioid-related adverse drug events are common among patients undergoing hospital-based invasive procedures and are associated with worse patient clinical and cost outcomes, a recent study found. The retrospective study of clinical and administrative data included 135,379 adult patients (67.5% female) and examined the incidence of opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) in patients undergoing hospital-based surgical and endoscopic procedures. Researchers found:

• 14,386 (10.6%) patients in the study population experienced at least 1 ORADE.
• Patients with ORADEs were more likely to be older, of white race/ethnicity, and male and have more comorbidities.
• Patients with ORADEs received a higher total dose of opioids and for a longer duration.
• ORADEs were associated with increased inpatient mortality, greater likelihood of discharge to another care facility, prolonged length of stay, high cost of hospitalization, and higher rate of 30-day readmission.