Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study assessed whether adding trigger finger or carpal tunnel release at the time of thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthroplasty would increase postoperative opioid use, readmissions, complications, and development of CRPS.METHODS: Using the IBM MarketScan Research Databases from 2012 to 2016, we identified a two groups of CMC arthroplasty patients. The "CMC only" group only had a CMC arthroplasty on the day of operation. The "multiple procedures" group had a CMC arthroplasty and concurrent carpal tunnel and / or trigger finger release. Between the two groups, we compared persistent opioid use, 30-day readmissions, 30-day complications, and diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).RESULTS: The CMC only group consisted of 18,010 patients. The multiple procedures group consisted of 4,064 patients. These patients received a CMC arthroplasty and a carpal tunnel release (74%), a trigger finger release (20%), or both (6%). CMC only patients had lower rates of persistent opioid use compared to patients who underwent multiple procedures (16% vs 18%). Readmission rates were also lower for CMC only patients (3% vs 4%). CMC only patients had decreased odds of persistent opioid use (OR=0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.97, p=0.013) and readmissions (OR=0.80; 95% CI, 0.67-0.96, p=0.016). The most common reason for readmission was pain (16%).CONCLUSIONS: Adding another procedure to a CMC arthroplasty slightly increases the odds of adverse outcomes such as persistent opioid use and readmission. Patients and providers should weigh the efficiency of doing these procedures concurrently against the risk of performing multiple procedures at once.CLINICAL QUESTION / LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Risk, II.

View details for DOI 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010144

View details for PubMedID 36728633