Opioid-naive adults who underwent at least one of four low-risk surgical procedures—carpal tunnel release, laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), inguinal hernia repair and knee arthroscopy—in the years 2004, 2008 and 2012 were prescribed over time an increasing mean opioid morphine equivalent for postoperative pain. The adjusted increase was highest for knee arthroscopy (18%), according to a JAMA research letter (2016 Mar 15. doi:
MAY 24, 2016