Reduced Influence of Affective Disorders on 6-Week and 3-Month Narcotic Refills After Primary Complex Spinal Fusions for Adult Deformity Correction: A Single-Institutional Study.

Objective: Previous studies have identified the impact of affective disorders on preoperative and postoperative perception of pain. However, there is a scarcity of data identifying the impact of affective disorders on postdischarge narcotic refills. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with affective disorders have more narcotic refills after complex spinal fusion for deformity correction.
Methods: The medical records of 121 adult (≥18 years old) spine deformity patients undergoing elective, primary complex spinal fusion (≥5 level) for deformity correction at a major academic institution from 2010 to 2015 were reviewed. Patient demographics, comorbidities, intraoperative and postoperative complication rates, baseline and postoperative patient-reported pain scores, ambulatory status, and narcotic refills were collected for each patient. The primary outcome was the rate of 6-week and 3-month narcotic refills.
Results: Of the 121 patients, 43 (35.5%) had a clinical diagnosis of anxiety or depression (affective disorder) (AD n = 43; No-AD n = 78). Preoperative narcotic use was significantly higher in the AD cohort (AD 65.9% vs. No-AD 37.7%, P = 0.0035). The AD cohort had significantly higher pain scores at baseline (AD 6.5 ± 2.9 vs. No-AD 4.7 ± 3.1, P = 0.004) and at the first postoperative pain score reported (AD 6.7 ± 2.6 vs. No-AD 5.6 ± 2.9, P = 0.049). However, there were no significant differences in narcotic refills at 6 weeks (AD 34.9% vs. No-AD 25.6%, P = 0.283) and 3 months (AD 23.8% vs. No-AD 17.4%, P = 0.411) after discharge between the cohorts.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that whereas spinal deformity patients with affective disorders may have a higher baseline perception of pain and narcotic use, the impact of affective disorders on narcotic refills at 6 weeks and 3 months may be minimal after complex spinal fusion.
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