CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
-
Infective endocarditis is an increasingly common complication among people who inject drugs. We conducted this study to determine whether the removal of traditional controlled-release oxycodone from the Canadian market would be associated with an increase in the use of hydromorphone and an increased risk of infective endocarditis. ⋯ The risk of infective endocarditis related to injection drug use is increasing and is temporally associated with increasing prescriptions for hydromorphone. This relation warrants further exploration.