2025 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster
A Multi-Disciplinary Program For Opioid Sparse Arthroplasty Results In Reduced Long-Term Opioid Consumption: A Four Year Prospective Study
Christopher J. Wilson, A/Prof, MBChB, MRCS, FRACS, PhD, Adelaide, SA AUSTRALIA
D-Yin Lin, MBBS, Adelaide, South Australia AUSTRALIA
Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA, AUSTRALIA
FDA Status Not Applicable
Summary
Zero patients used post op opiates after 6 weeks in this study.
ePosters will be available shortly before Congress
Abstract
Introduction
The current opioid epidemic poses patient safety and economic burdens to healthcare systems
worldwide. Postoperative prescriptions of opioids contribute, with reported opioid prescription
rates following arthroplasty as high as 89%. In this multi-centre prospective study, an opioid
sparing protocol was implemented for patients undergoing knee or hip arthroplasty. The primary
outcome is to report our patient outcomes in the context of this protocol, and to examine the rate
of opioid prescription on discharge from our hospitals following joint arthroplasty surgery. This is
possibly associated with the efficacy of the newly implemented Arthroplasty Patient Care
Protocol.
Methods
Over three years, patients underwent perioperative education with the expectation to be opioidfree after surgery. Intraoperative regional analgesia, early postoperative mobilisation and
multimodal analgesia were mandatory. Long-term opioid medication use was monitored and
PROMs (Oxford Knee/Hip Score (OKS/OHS), EQ-5D-5 L) were evaluated pre-operatively, and at
6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively. Primary and secondary outcomes were opiate use
and PROMs at different time points
Results
A total of 1,444 patients participated. Two (0.2%) knee patients used opioids to one year. Zero hip patients used opioids postoperatively at any time point after six weeks (p<0.0001).