The Opioid Epidemic Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 47 ,000 deaths in 2018—more than any previous year on record. And an estimated 40 percent of those opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription. The link between opioids and orthopedic surgery In 2017 , patients received nearly 100 to 200 opioid pills to help manage pain from four common orthopedic procedures: Rotator cuff repair Hip replacement Knee replacement Spine surgery Nearly 9% of surgical patients in 2017 became newly persistent opioid users who continued to take opioids three to six months following surgery; that number climbed as high as 17% for patients undergoing certain surgeries.

Join for free to read