Steep rise in cardiac arrests associated with opioid use

Date:
August 23, 2021
Source:
European Society of Cardiology
Summary:
A nationwide US study has shown that the rate of opioid-related
cardiac arrests has steeply risen and is now on par with the rate
of cardiac arrest from other causes. Opioid use disorder, which
includes dependence and addiction, affects more than two million
people in the US, while opioid overdose is the leading cause of
death for those aged 25 to 64 years. This study examined the trends
and outcomes of opioid-related cardiac arrest in 2012 to 2018. The
US Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) was used to study all
hospitalisations for cardiac arrest in active or chronic opioid
users compared to cardiac arrests in patients not using opioids.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A nationwide US study has shown that the rate of opioid-related cardiac
arrests has steeply risen and is now on par with the rate of cardiac
arrest from other causes. The research is presented at ESC Congress 2021.


========================================================================== Opioid use disorder, which includes dependence and addiction, affects
more than two million people in the US, while opioid overdose is the
leading cause of death for those aged 25 to 64 years.

This study examined the trends and outcomes of opioid-related cardiac
arrest in 2012 to 2018. The US Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) was
used to study all hospitalisations for cardiac arrest in active or chronic opioid users compared to cardiac arrests in patients not using opioids.

Of 1,410,475 cardiac arrest hospitalisations, 43,090 (3.1%) occurred in
opioid users. The rate of in-hospital mortality in cardiac arrest patients
with and without opioid use was 56.7% versus 61.2%, respectively. However,
in an analysis adjusted for several factors including liver disease,
atrial fibrillation and renal failure, there was no difference in the risk
of mortality between cardiac arrest patients with or without opioid abuse
(odds ratio 0.96; 95% confidence interval 0.92-1.01; p=0.15). Opioid users
had higher rates of alcohol abuse (16.9% vs. 7.1%; p<0.05), depression
(18.8% vs. 9%; p<0.05) and smoking (37.0% vs. 21.8%; p<0.05) compared
to those not using opioids.

The study found a significant increasing trend in opioid-associated
cardiac arrest over the seven-year period (p for trend <0.05).

Study author Ms. Senada S. Malik, a medical researcher at the University
of New England, Biddeford, US said: "The rise in opioid-related cardiac
arrests during the study period was significant. By 2018, opioids were
related to a similar number of cardiac arrests as all other reasons
put together." She continued: "This was an observational study so we
cannot conclude causality, but the findings do suggest that the opioid
epidemic in the US may have contributed to an increasing number of
cardiac arrests." Ms. Malik concluded: "The rising use of opioids is
having a devastating impact on the lives of many Americans. Abuse
of these drugs has been linked with poor lifestyle choices
including excessive alcohol intake, lack of exercise, insufficient
sleep and smoking -- which can lead to a downward spiral of poor decision-making. A constant need for opioids contributes to addiction, depression, poverty, unemployment and criminal/legal problems. Public
health strategies including increased surveillance, research, and
tracking opioid cases are desperately needed to curtail this epidemic." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by European_Society_of_Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823125736.htm

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