The results of a recent study published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Disease found that stopping oral opioids usage for analgesia after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) does not negatively affect patient care metrics (length of hospital stay, delta pain score, 30 day emergency department presentations, and readmissions during 30 days) and may be advantageous for the improvement of patient reported analgesia.

Prescription of oral opioids for analgesia after surgery ambulatory settings is a recognized risk factor for the development of chronic opioid dependence in bariatric population.

This retrospective study comprised of 189 patients who were administered oral opioids  in the immediate postsurgery setting, along with a prescription for oral opioids at the time of discharge following SG and LRYGB . It was done to explore if there is any measurable affect on the patient care metrics. The second cohort of 136 patients did not receive any oral opioids (i.e. oral opioid free cohort). The link of treatment type with clinical outcomes of interest was assessed via multivariable linear and logistic regression analysis.

The patients in the oral opioid free cohort received considerably fewer morphine milligram equivalents for the period of their after surgery hospital admission. A lower delta pain scores (on an average) were described by these patients. Remaining patient care metrics didn’t had any differences.

Along with pain relief, stopping oral opioid use following bariatric surgery does not affect length of stay and the rate of readmissions.