Assessing opioid administration in pediatric burn patients with nonsurgical management

Abstract Background Despite the vast literature studying the opioid crisis, there is sparse data in the pediatric burn population. This study sought to assess patient-level characteristics and their potential effects on opioid administration in nonsurgical pediatric burn inpatients. Methods Admitted burn patients from 2013 to 2018 with nonsurgical management at an American Burn Association (ABA) verified pediatric burn center were retrospectively identified. Morphine milligram equivalents by weight (MME/kg) per admission were evaluated through a multiple loglinear regression with race, sex, age, total body surface area burned (TBSA), and burn depth as predictors. Simple linear regression was used to evaluate the temporal trend of median opioid utilization. Results A total of 806 patients (55% White, 35% Black, 5% Hispanic, 5% Other) were included. In an adjusted analysis, no differences in opioid administration were seen by sex, burn degree, or for Blacks and Hispanics when compared with Whites. Increased MME/kg was associated with older age (10–18 years; p  5% TBSA burned; p  Conclusions Nonsurgical burn patients who were older and presented with larger TBSA experienced marked increases in opioid utilization. Overall, opioid administration decreased over time.