查看文章

Objective:

To determine the influence of initial prescription size on opioid consumption after minor hand surgeries. Secondary outcomes include efficacy of pain control, patient satisfaction, and refill requests.

Background:

Retrospective studies have shown that opioid prescriptions for acute pain after surgical procedures are often excessive in size, which encourages misuse. This is the first prospective randomized trial on the influence of initial prescription size on opioid consumption in the setting of acute postsurgical pain.

Methods:

In a prospective randomized trial at a single-academic institution, patients were provided an initial prescription of either 10 or 30 hydrocodone/acetaminophen (5/325 mg) pills after surgery. Two hundred opioid-naive patients, aged 19 to 69, undergoing elective outpatient minor hand surgeries were enrolled over 9 months, with a follow-up period of 10 to 14 days.

Results:

One hundred seventy …