• Ryan Ridenour, Christopher Kowalski, Djibril Ba, Guodong Liu, Jesse Bible, Matthew Garner, Douglas Leslie, Michael Aynardi, and Aman Dhawan.
• Department of Orthopaedics, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania.
• Foot Ankle Spec. 2020 Dec 14: 1938640020977988.

IntroductionOpioid abuse has become a national crisis. Published data demonstrate that patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery are left with excess narcotic medications postoperatively. The purpose of our study was to evaluate factors associated with prolonged postoperative opioid use following foot and ankle surgery and identify associations between preoperative opioid use and postoperative complications.MethodsMarketScan commercial claims and encounters database was searched to identify foot and ankle patients. Preoperative comorbidities were queried and documented. Patients utilizing opioids 1 to 3 months prior to surgery were identified. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs were calculated using multivariable logistic regression to determine associations between opioid use (preoperatively and postoperatively), readmission, and complications.ResultsA total of 112 893 patients were included in the study. Preoperative use had a statistically significant association with postoperative use out to 1 year. Tobacco use, chronic pain, mental health diagnosis, and nonopioid medications had a statistically significant association with postoperative use. Preoperative opioid use had a statistically significant association with readmission and postoperative complications.ConclusionOur study found a number of factors associated with prolonged postoperative opioid use (preoperative use, tobacco use, chronic pain, mental health disorders, and certain nonopioid medications). We identified an association between preoperative opioid use and postoperative complications and readmission.Levels Of EvidencePrognostic Level IV Evidence.

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