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Predictors of Follow-Up Opioid Utilization After Burn Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Sara Yacoub, MPH, Eliana F.R. Duraes, MD, PhD
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
2025-01-10
Presenter: Sara Yacoub
Affidavit:
Data collection, analysis, and writing was done by Sara Yacoub under the supervision of Dr. Duraes.
Director Name: Eliana F.R. Duraes, MD, PhD
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Introduction: Burn patients often require long-term follow-up to manage pain and other post-injury complications. Understanding the predictors of opioid use during follow-up care can inform strategies to optimize pain management while minimizing opioid dependence.
Methods: Using the Burn Model System National Database, a repeated measures, binomial generalized linear mixed effects model was employed to evaluate the association between patient characteristics post-discharge and the likelihood of receiving opioid pain management during follow-up care. Fixed effects included sleep disturbance (scaled), pain intensity (scaled), total body burn surface area, age (scaled), gender, surgical intervention type during follow-up, depression score (scaled), drug abuse, and follow-up time in months.
Results: Data from 845 unique patients were analyzed, with a mean follow-up time of 41.5 months. Significant predictors of increased odds of opioid use during follow-up included greater pain intensity (OR = 1.78, p < 0.001), increased sleep disturbances (OR = 1.29, p = 0.034), and total body surface area of burn (OR= 1.016, p= 0.002). In contrast, patients who underwent no surgery had significantly reduced odds of opioid use during follow-up (OR = 0.09, p < 0.001), as did those with longer follow-up times (OR = 0.99, p < 0.001). Gender, depression scores, drug abuse, and surgical intervention were not associated with opioid use (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of personalized pain management strategies to reduce opioid reliance in burn patients.
