Perioperative substance use disorder, opioid diversion, and opioid misuse by a medical professional undergoing orthopedic surgery

Dermot Maher, MD, MS; Michael Kissen, MD; Itai Danovitch, MD, MBA; Roya Yumul, MD, PhD; Charles Louy, PhD, MD

doi:10.5055/jom.2014.0240

Authors

Dermot Maher, MD, MS
Michael Kissen, MD
Itai Danovitch, MD, MBA
Roya Yumul, MD, PhD
Charles Louy, PhD, MD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2014.0240

Keywords:

substance use disorder, pain management, opioid diversion, opioid misuse

Abstract

Patients with substance use disorders can present challenges for effective perioperative pain management. Healthcare professionals with substance abuse disorders requiring medical treatment and pain management represent a unique subpopulation. The authors present a case of a nurse undergoing an orthopedic surgical procedure who was found with two large, organized tackle boxes of opioid medication in her hospital room. Although the incidence of substance use disorders in healthcare professionals is thought to be equivalent to the general population, the presentation, substances of choice, and inciting factors are unique. Further, treatment options available to such individuals have been established and proven successful.

Author Biographies

Dermot Maher, MD, MS

Resident, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Michael Kissen, MD

Resident, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Itai Danovitch, MD, MBA

Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Roya Yumul, MD, PhD

Program Director, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

Charles Louy, PhD, MD

Director, Inpatient Pain Services, Department of Anesthesia, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California

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