Risk factors for prolonged opioid use and adverse events following orthopedic surgery

Over the past few years, the field of opioid research has been aimed at targeting the opioid crisis affecting communities across Canada. One way that health care workers have been contributing to this field is by identifying risk factors that predispose patients to prolonged opioid use. Given opioids have long been used for post operative pain control in orthopaedics, this article aims to address some of the more common and severe risk factors seen in orthopedic surgery patients. Included with each of the risk factors are potential mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of opioid dependence or adverse effects, including medication interactions.