Opioid Use and Outcomes in Hospitalized Older Patients With Heart Failure Receiving and Not Receiving Hospice Referrals

Clinical outcomes of opioid administration in acute and chronic heart failure: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Opioid use in heart failure (HF) management is controversial, and whether rapid symptomatic relief outweighs the risks of opioid use in HF remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the clinical outcomes of opioid administration in patients with acute or chronic HF.

METHODS

A systematic search for eligible studies was conducted in databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO) and registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO Clinical Trial Registry) until June 8, 2022. Odds ratios (ORs) or adjusted OR (aORs) and mean difference (MD) or standardized MD were quantified for binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. Meta-regression was performed using the restricted maximum likelihood method.

RESULTS

A total of 20 studies (154,736 participants) were included. In acute HF, opioid use presented a high risk for in-hospital mortality (OR = 2.35; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-5.38; I² = 97%), invasive (OR = 2.78; 95%CI: 1.17-6.61; I² = 93%) and noninvasive (OR = 2.97; 95%CI: 1.06-8.28; I² = 95%) ventilations, intensive care unit admission (OR = 3.62; 95%CI: 3.11-4.21; I² = 6%), and inotrope use (OR = 2.54; 95%CI: 1.94-3.32; I² = 63%). In chronic HF New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II/III, opioid use improved ventilatory efficiency (MD = -3.16; 95%CI: (-4.78)-(-1.54); I² = 0%), and exercise test duration (MD = 69.24; 95%CI: 10.11-128.37; I² = 89%).

CONCLUSIONS

Opioids are not recommended for acute HF management; however, they showed an advantage in exercise testing by improving ventilatory efficiency, chemosensitivity, and exercise test duration in stable patients with chronic HF NYHA Class II/III. Nonetheless, larger randomized controlled trials and individual patient-level data meta-analyses are warranted.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2020

This paper is the forty-third consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2020 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (1), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (2) and humans (3), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (4), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (5), stress and social status (6), learning and memory (7), eating and drinking (8), drug abuse and alcohol (9), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (10), mental illness and mood (11), seizures and neurologic disorders (12), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (13), general activity and locomotion (14), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (15), cardiovascular responses (16), respiration and thermoregulation (17), and immunological responses (18).