# Evaluating Routine Opioid Use during Acute Respiratory Failure

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2022 · $541,739

## Abstract

ABSTRACT / PROJECT SUMMARY
In “Evaluating Routine Opioid Use during Acute Respiratory Failure”, we propose to study the prescribing
practices and long-term ramifications of the routine use of opioids among patients with acute respiratory failure
who require mechanical ventilation in the United States. Exposure to prescription opioids may produce opioid-
related complications, leading healthcare organizations to increasingly recommend non-opioid alternatives to
pain treatment. In contrast to opioid minimization strategies within other healthcare settings, critical care
guidelines recommend opioids as the first-line treatment for discomfort that associated with use of a mechanical
ventilator. Currently, prescribing patterns for opioids among the approximately 1 million patients in the United
States who receive support from a mechanical ventilator for acute respiratory failure are unclear. In addition,
changes in opioid prescribing in response to critical care guidelines that recommend opioids as first line pain
treatment during mechanical have not been described. Importantly, links between opioids prescribed during
mechanical ventilation and long-term opioid use and opioid-related complications remain unexplored. We will
use existing longitudinal electronic health record data from complementary sources to efficiently evaluate opioid
prescribing patterns and opioid-associated outcomes after critical illness. We have assembled a team with a
record of collaboration and expertise in the epidemiology of opioid use, use of electronic health record data to
study outcomes after critical illness, and observational research methodology. Our study will benchmark clinical
practice for opioid use during acute respiratory failure, and provide insights into the potential risks and benefits
of a common, but understudied practice of routine opioid use during mechanical ventilation. Results from our
proposal will inform future therapeutic recommendations, and guide the design and conduct of future randomized
trials investigating opioid-limited analgesia in the intensive care setting.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399487
- **Project number:** 5R01HL151607-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Vincent Liu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $541,739
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-05-03 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399487

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399487, Evaluating Routine Opioid Use during Acute Respiratory Failure (5R01HL151607-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399487. Licensed CC0.

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