Adolescent outcomes of Post-operative opioid Exposure (APEX) (NIH HEAL Initiative)

Funded by the NIH HEAL Initiative^®

Opioid overdose is an unabated US public health crisis and a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, resulting in more than 110,000 deaths in 2022. The effect on adolescents undergoing painful surgery is of particular concern because any use of prescribed opioids during adolescence is independently associated with both overdose and future OUD, and nearly 90% of opioid overdose deaths in children occur among teenagers. This project aims to recruit 10,000 adolescents undergoing major surgery and follow them for one year post operatively. We will collect comprehensive data on preoperative factors, pain outcomes, behavioral issues, social determinants of health and medication use, with the goal of evaluating the composition of factors that are markers of future opioid use.