Intraoperative Ketamine and Chronic Opioid Use After Lumbar Spine Surgery in Patients With and Without Opioid-Use Disorder: A Retrospective Database Analysis
Authors' conclusion
In this large, real-world cohort, intraoperative ketamine was not associated with lower rates of chronic opioid dispensing after LSS in either opioid-naive or patients with OUD.
Study context
- Population
- Adults undergoing lumbar spine surgery (LSS), opioid-naive or with opioid-use disorder (OUD), US TriNetX network, January 2010–December 202453,639 opioid-naive, 2031 OUD analysed
- Exposure
- Ketamine vs No ketamine
- Outcome
- Presence of outpatient opioid prescriptions
- Follow-up
- 48 hours, 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery
Methodological detailspropensity-score matched, TriNetX database
- Propensity-score matched
- TriNetX database
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Outpatient opioid prescribing
Ketamine vs No ketamineRelative risk (95% CI)P value
Opioid-naive, 48 hours
1.23(1.22–1.25)
P < 0.001Opioid-naive, 6 weeks
1.14(1.10–1.18)
P < 0.001Observational data: associations, not effects.
Safety
Opioid-related adverse events and new OUD diagnoses · within 12 months
- Not reduced; similar or more frequent among ketamine-exposed patients
Original publication
Intraoperative Ketamine and Chronic Opioid Use After Lumbar Spine Surgery in Patients With and Without Opioid-Use Disorder: A Retrospective Database Analysis. Anesth Analg. Published 23 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →