Brief report: Opioid withdrawal in patients with cirrhosis: A retrospective cross-sectional United States analysis.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

Patients with cirrhosis face poor outcomes for numerous acute pathologies, but opioid withdrawal outcomes in this population are unknown.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 306,455 hospitalizations for opioid withdrawal within the National Inpatient Sample from 2016 to 2022.

RESULTS

Patients with cirrhosis (n = 2415) had increased rates of mechanical ventilation (aOR = 2.34, p = .004), death (aOR = 4.24, p = .022) and cost (mean $7845 vs. $4409, p < .001).

CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first large, generalizable study of opioid withdrawal in cirrhosis, showing worse outcomes and underscoring the need for careful monitoring in this population.