Does the Association Between Psychosocial Factors and Opioid Use After Elective Spine Surgery Differ by Sex in Older Adults?

Abstract

Linda S Aglio,1,2,* Elisabetta Mezzalira,2,3,* Sarah M Corey,1 Kara G Fields,1 Blake M Hauser,4 Maria J Susano,5 Deborah J Culley,1 Kristin L Schreiber,1 Nicole J Kelly-Aglio,2 Megan E Patton,1 Rania A Mekary,2,6 Robert R Edwards1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 2Computational Neurosurgical Outcome Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; 4Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; 5Department of Anesthesiology, Emergency and Critical Care, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Porto, Portugal; 6School of Pharmacy, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) University, Boston, MA, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Linda S Aglio, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [email protected]: Psychosocial disorders have been linked to chronic postoperative opioid use and the development of postoperative pain. The potential interaction between sex and psychosocial factors with respect to opioid use after elective spine surgery in the elderly has not yet been evaluated. Our aim was to assess whether any observed association of anxiety or depression indicators with opioid consumption in the first 72 hours after elective spine surgery varies by sex in adults ≥ 65 years.Patients and Methods: Secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort of 647 elective spine surgeries performed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, July 1, 2015–March 15, 2017, in patients ≥ 65. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test whether history of anxiety, anxiolytic use, history of depression, and antidepressant use were associated with opioid consumption 0– 24, 24– 48, and 48– 72 post surgery, and whether these potential associations differed by sex.Results: History of anxiety, anxiolytic use, history of depression, and antidepressant use were more common among women (51.3% of the sample). During the first 24 hours after surgery, men with a preoperative history of anxiety consumed an adjusted mean of 19.5 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) (99.6% CI: 8.1, 31.0) more than men without a history of anxiety; women with a history of anxiety only consumed an adjusted mean 2.9 MME (99.6% CI: − 3.1, 8.9) more than women without a history of anxiety (P value for interaction between sex and history of anxiety < 0.001). No other interactions were detected between sex and psychosocial factors with respect to opioid use after surgery.Conclusion: Secondary analysis of this retrospective cohort study found minimal evidence that the association between psychosocial factors and opioid consumption after elective spine surgery differs by sex in adults ≥ 65.Keywords: opioids, pain, psychosocial, sex anxiety, depression

Keywords

• opioids
• pain
• psychosocial
• sex anxiety
• depression