Brief report: Opioid withdrawal in patients with cirrhosis: A retrospective cross-sectional United States analysis
Abstract
Background and Objectives
Patients with cirrhosis face poor outcomes for numerous acute pathologies, but opioid withdrawal outcomes in this population are unknown.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 306,455 hospitalizations for opioid withdrawal within the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2022.
Results
Patients with cirrhosis (n = 2415) had increased rates of mechanical ventilation (aOR = 2.34, p = .004), death (aOR = 4.24, p = .022) and cost (mean $7845 vs. $4409, p < .001).
Conclusion and Scientific Significance
This is the first large, generalizable study of opioid withdrawal in cirrhosis, showing worse outcomes and underscoring the need for careful monitoring in this population.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.