96 Impact of the National Opioid Epidemic on Chronic Pancreatitis Related Admissions

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Opioid use disorder (OUD) has become a public health emergency in the United States. Patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) are at high risk for opioid dependence due to chronic pain associated with the disease process. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, impact and predictors of OUD in patients hospitalized with CP. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the national inpatient sample (NIS) database from 2005–2014. Patients with a primary diagnosis of CP and OUD were included. OUD-related diagnosis were identified using previously published studies. The primary outcome was to evaluate the prevalence and trend of OUD in patients hospitalized with CP over time. Secondary outcomes were: i) to assess the impact of OUD on healthcare resource utilization, ii) identify predictors of OUD in hospitalized CP patients. RESULTS: A total of 176,857 CP patients were included, and OUD was present in 3.8% of patients. The prevalence of OUD in CP doubled from 2.7% in 2005 to 5.4% in 2014 (Figure 1). Patients with CP who had OUD were found to have higher mean length of stay (adjusted mean difference: 1.2 days (95% CI: 1.1–1.4), P < 0.001) and total hospitalization costs (adjusted mean difference: $1,936 (95% CI: 1590–2282), P < 0.001). Independent predictors of OUD in CP patients were obesity, presence of depression, and increased severity of illness (Table 1). CONCLUSION: OUD related diagnoses are increasing among patients with CP and are associated with increased healthcare resource utilization. Our study identifies an important group of patients at high-risk for OUD whose pain should be carefully managed.