# Characterizing and Reducing New Persistent Opioid Use in Patients Undergoing Complex Major Surgery

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $73,806

## Abstract

Abstract
The opioid epidemic represents a public health crisis that continues to worsen with mortality due to
unintentional prescription opioid overdose increasing by 450% over the last two decades. Despite major
advancements in the management of chronic pain and opioid prescription practices for chronic pain,
prescriptions for acute pain have not declined. Additionally, opioid prescriptions following surgical operations
represent a common entry pathway to new persistent opioid use. Our previous work has shown high rates of
new persistent opioid use among patients following multiple common outpatient surgical procedures, but
investigation into patients after major surgical operations and those that suffer complications from those
procedures is lacking. Patients with complicated post-operative courses often undergo repeated procedures
and have prolonged lengths of hospital stay, altering the trajectory with which their pain abates and potentially
drastically increasing their exposure to post-operative opioid medications both in an out of the hospital.
In this research proposal, we will focus on gathering data from several statewide databases including those
available through the partnership between the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) as well as Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) to investigate the magnitude of new persistent opioid use
development among patients having complex surgery. In addition, we will define the role that post-operative
opioid exposure plays in development of new persistent opioid use and what patient level factors are predictive
of new opioid dependency in this high-risk group of patients. Finally, we will utilize these findings to develop,
implement and assess an evidence-based pain plan for patients undergoing complex surgical procedures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10065067
- **Project number:** 1F32DA050416-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Craig Brown
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $73,806
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10065067

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10065067, Characterizing and Reducing New Persistent Opioid Use in Patients Undergoing Complex Major Surgery (1F32DA050416-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10065067. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*