Editorial Commentary: Rotator Cuff Repair Outcomes Are Influenced by Chronic Opioid Use

The creation of pain as the fifth vital sign in 2001 led to an unforeseen and dramatic increase in postoperative narcotic use. It became clear that chronic opioid use was associated with overdoses and deaths, and state medical licensing boards began to require completion of narcotic Continuing Medical Education courses to maintain licensure. Despite the overwhelming evidence of adverse effects of narcotic usage in both the pre-and postoperative periods, this continues to be a persistent problem in all areas of orthopaedic surgery. The magnitude of the problem is significant and now opioidspecific training is a mandated component of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Maintenance of Certification for their Web-based Longitudinal Assessment of continuing medical education. Large database studies are helpful in identifying trends and factors that influence outcomes, potentially cut cost of care, and hopefully help us find a way out of this ongoing dilemma. This dilemma has taken a long time to create and will require a concerted disciplined effort to eliminate.

Automated summary

The creation of pain as the fifth vital sign in 2001 led to a significant increase in postoperative narcotic use, resulting in chronic opioid use associated with overdoses and deaths. Despite the adverse effects, the persistent problem of opioid usage in orthopaedic surgery requires targeted training and efforts to address.