Little is known about patients prescribed high doses of opioids to treat chronic non-cancer pain, though these patients may be at higher risk for medication-related complications. We describe the prevalence of high-dose opioid use and associated demographic and clinical characteristics among veterans treated in a VA regional healthcare network. Veterans with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed high doses of opioids (>=180 mg/day morphine equivalent; n=478) for 90+ consecutive days were compared to two groups with chronic pain: Traditional-dose (5-179 mg/day; n=500) or no opioid (n=500). High-dose opioid use occurred in 2.4% of all chronic pain patients and in 3.4% of all chronic pain patients prescribed opioids long-term. The average dose in the high-dose group was 324.9 (SD=285.1) mg/day. The only significant demographic difference among groups was race (p=0.03) with black veterans less likely to receive high doses. High-dose patients were more likely to have four or more pain diagnoses and the highest rates of medical, psychiatric, and substance use disorders. After controlling for demographic factors and VA facility, neuropathy, low back pain, and nicotine dependence diagnoses were associated with increased likelihood of high-dose prescriptions. High-dose patients frequently did not receive care consistent with treatment guidelines: there was frequent use of short-acting opioids, urine drug screens were administered to only 40.8% of patients in the prior year, and 32.0% received concurrent benzodiazepine prescriptions, which may increase risk for overdose and death. Further study is needed to identify better predictors of high-dose usage, as well as the efficacy and safety of such dosing.

Objectives Little is known about how opioid prescriptions for chronic pain are initiated. We sought to describe patterns of prescription opioid initiation, identify correlates of opioid initiation, and examine correlates of receipt of chronic opioid therapy (COT) among veterans with persistent non-cancer pain. Methods Using Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data, we identified 5,961 veterans from the Pacific Northwest with persistent elevated pain intensity scores who had not been prescribed opioids in the prior 12 months. We compared veterans not prescribed opioids over the subsequent 12 months to those prescribed any opioid and to those prescribed COT (≥90 consecutive days). Results During the study year, 34% of the sample received an opioid prescription, and 5% received COT. Most first opioid prescriptions were written by primary care clinicians. Veterans prescribed COT were younger, had greater pain intensity, and high rates of psychiatric and substance use disorders (SUDs) compared to veterans in the other two groups. Among patients receiving COT, 29% were prescribed long-acting opioids, 37% received one or more urine drug screens, and 24% were prescribed benzodiazepines. Adjusting for age, sex, and baseline pain intensity, major depression (OR 1.24 [1.10–1.39]; 1.48 [1.14–1.93]) and nicotine dependence (1.34 [1.17–1.53]; 2.02 [1.53–2.67]) were associated with receiving any opioid prescription and with COT, respectively. Discussion Opioid initiations are common among veterans with persistent pain, but most veterans are not prescribed opioids long-term. Psychiatric disorders and SUDs are associated with receiving COT. Many Veterans receiving COT are concurrently prescribed benzodiazepines and many do not receive urine drug screening; additional study regarding practices that optimize safety of COT in this population is indicated.

A B S T R A C T PurposeLung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Intensive care unit (ICU) use among patients with cancer is increasing, but data regarding ICU outcomes for patients with lung cancer are limited. Patients and MethodsWe used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) -Medicare registry (1992 to 2007) to conduct a retrospective cohort study of patients with lung cancer who were admitted to an ICU for reasons other than surgical resection of their tumor. We used logistic and Cox regression to evaluate associations of patient characteristics and hospital mortality and 6-month mortality, respectively. We calculated adjusted associations for mechanical ventilation receipt with hospital and 6-month mortality. ResultsOf the 49,373 patients with lung cancer admitted to an ICU for reasons other than surgical resection, 76% of patients survived the hospitalization, and 35% of patients were alive 6 months after discharge. Receipt of mechanical ventilation was associated with increased hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 6.95; 95% CI, 6.89 to 7.01; P Ͻ .001), and only 15% of these patients were alive 6 months after discharge. Of all ICU patients with lung cancer, the percentage of patients who survived 6 months from discharge was 36% for patients diagnosed in 1992 and 32% for patients diagnosed in 2005, whereas it was 16% and 11% for patients who received mechanical ventilation, respectively. ConclusionMost patients with lung cancer enrolled in Medicare who are admitted to an ICU die within 6 months of admission. To improve patient-centered care, these results should guide shared decision making between patients with lung cancer and their clinicians before an ICU admission.

Objectives Little is known about the treatment Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans receive for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). We sought to describe the prevalence of prescription opioid use, types and doses of opioids received, and identify correlates of receiving prescription opioids for CNCP among OEF/OIF veterans. Design Retrospective review of VA administrative data. Setting Ambulatory clinics within a VA regional healthcare network. Patients OEF/OIF veterans who had at least 3 elevated pain screening scores within a 12-month period in 2008. Within this group, those prescribed opioids (n=485) over the next 12 months were compared to those not prescribed opioids (n=277). In addition, patients receiving opioids short term (<90 days, n=284) were compared to patients receiving them long-term (≥90 consecutive days, n=201). Results Of 762 OEF/OIF veterans with CNCP, 64% were prescribed at least one opioid medication over the 12 months following their index dates. Of those prescribed an opioid, 59% were prescribed opioids short-term and 41% were prescribed opioids long-term. The average morphine-equivalent opioid dose for short-term users was 23.7 mg (SD=20.5) compared with 40.8 mg (SD=36.1) for long-term users (p<0.001). Fifty-one percent of long-term opioid users were prescribed short-acting opioids only and one-third were also prescribed sedative-hypnotics. In adjusted analyses, diagnoses of low back pain, migraine headache, post-traumatic stress disorder, and nicotine use disorder were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving an opioid prescription. Conclusion Prescription opioid use is common among OEF/OIF veterans with CNCP and is associated with several pain diagnoses and medical conditions.

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Study Design Secondary analysis of the prospectively collected Veterans Affairs National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) database. Objective Determine rates of major medical complications, wound complications, and mortality among patients undergoing surgery for lumbar stenosis; and examine risk factors for these complications. Summary of Background Data Surgery for spinal stenosis is concentrated among older adults, for whom complications are more frequent than among middle-aged patients. Many studies have focused on infections or device complications, but fewer have focused on major cardiopulmonary complications, using prospectively collected data. Methods We identified patients who underwent surgery for a primary diagnosis of lumbar stenosis between 1998 and 2009 from the VASQIP database. We created a composite of major medical complications, including acute myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, systemic sepsis, coma, and cardiac arrest. Results Among 12,154 eligible patients, major medical complications occurred in 2.1% ; wound complications in 3.2%; and 90-day mortality in 0.6%. Major medical complications, but not wound complications, were strongly associated with age. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class was a strong predictor of complications. Insulin use, chronic corticosteroid use, and preoperative functional status were also significant predictors. Fusion procedures were associated with higher complication rates than decompression alone. In logistic regressions, ASA class and age were the strongest predictors of major medical complications (OR for ASA class 4 vs. classes 1 or 2: 2.97, 95% CI 1.68, 5.25, p=0.0002). After adjustment for comorbidity, age, and functional status, fusion procedures remained associated with higher medical complication rates than decompression alone (OR 2.85, 95% CI 2.14, 3.78, p<0.0001). Conclusion ASA class, age, type of surgery, insulin or corticosteroid use, and functional status were independent risk factors for major medical complications. These factors may help in selecting patients and planning procedures, improving patient safety.