Association of Refractory Pain in the Acute Phase After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage with Continued Outpatient Opioid Use

Objective Little is known about the prevalence of continued opioid use following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) despite guidelines recommending their use during the acute phase of disease. We sought to determine prevalence of opioid use following aSAH and test the hypothesis that acute pain and higher inpatient opioid dose increased outpatient opioid use. Methods We reviewed consecutively admitted aSAH patients from November 2015 through September 2019. We retrospectively collected pain scores and daily doses of analgesics. Pain burden was calculated as area under the pain-time curve. Univariate and multivariable regression models determined risk factors for continued opioid use at discharge and outpatient follow-up. Results We identified 234 aSAH patients with outpatient follow-up. Continued opioid use was common at discharge (55% of patients) and follow-up (47% of patients, median 63 (IQR 49–96) days from admission). Pain burden, craniotomy, and racial-ethnic minority status were associated with discharge opioid prescription in multivariable analysis. At outpatient follow-up, pain burden (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.5–2.4), depression (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.1–8.8), and racial-ethnic minority status (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1–4.0) were independently associated with continued opioid use while inpatient opioid dose was not. Conclusion Continued opioid use following aSAH is prevalent and related to refractory pain during acute illness, but not inpatient opioid dose. More efficacious analgesic strategies are needed to reduce continued opioid use in patients following aSAH. Classification of evidence This study provides Class II evidence that continued opioid use following aSAH is associated with refractory pain during acute illness but not hospital opioid exposure.