Preoperative Analgesia, Complications, and Resource Utilization After Total Hip Arthroplasty: Tramadol Is Associated With Less Risk Than Other Preoperative Opioid Medications

Preoperative opioid use is known to be detrimental to outcomes after total hip arthroplasty (THA). This is concerning as multiple societies recommend tramadol for the management of arthritis. The purpose of this study was to determine if tramadol is associated with postoperative complications, increased resource utilization, and revision when compared with patients receiving nontramadol opioids (NTOs) and those who are opioid naive (ON).

This is a retrospective cohort study using the Truven MarketScan databases (Truven Health, Ann Arbor, MI). Adult patients undergoing primary THA were identified and divided into 4 cohorts based on preoperative opioid medications (ie, ON, tramadol-only [TO], or NTOs; ±tramadol). Demographics, comorbidities, and 90-day complications were collected and compared between cohorts. Revision rates were compared at 3 years. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Finally, preoperative prescription patterns were trended during the study period.

About 198,357 patients, including 18,694 TO and 106,768 ON, were identified. Compared with ON, TO patients had similar rates of complications and revision surgery ( P > .05) but had slightly higher emergency department visits (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.01-1.12; P = .027), readmissions (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.09-1.22; P < .001), and nonhome discharges (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12; P = .010). TO patients had significantly lower odds of incurring most examined complications, including revision surgery, when compared with NTO ( P < .05). From 2009 to 2018, the proportion of patients prescribed preoperative opioids decreased.

Preoperative TO is associated with less postoperative risk than NTO use and is similar to opioid naivety. Fortunately, the number of patients receiving preoperative NTOs appears to be decreasing. Our results support tramadol as an appropriate pre-THA analgesic.