The Association of Sex with Pain Scores and Perioperative Opioid Administration Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Abstract

Aim: We investigated whether sex is associated with pain scores and opioid administration after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Materials & methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy patients from December 2016–July 2018. Multivariable linear regressions were performed to investigate the association of sex with pain scores and opioid administration. Results: Baseline pain scores were similar between women and men (n = 266; 78% women). Men reported lower pain scores in all phases of care and received more opioids during their hospitalization (ß = 25.48; 95% CI: 5.77–45.20; p = 0.01), compared with women. Conclusion: Our data suggest that women self-report greater postoperative pain scores, while men received more opioids during their hospitalization. Further studies are needed to understand the reasons for such differences in postoperative pain management.