%0 Journal Article
%T A 3-year retrospective review of hospital admissions involving opioid toxicity in South Australia.
%A Sarantou M
%A Burke ALJ
%A Semple T
%A Johnson JL
%J Drug Alcohol Rev
%V 43
%N 6
%D 2024 Sep 29
%M 39072905
%F 4.042
%R 10.1111/dar.13913
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>This article aims to characterise hospital admissions involving opioid toxicity across South Australia to guide future implementation and evaluation of risk mitigation strategies.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition codes (T40.0-T40.4) were used to identify admissions involving pre-hospital opioid toxicity in public hospitals across South Australia from 1 June 2017 to 30 August 2020. Demographic and episode of care data were extracted and summarised using descriptive statistics. Admission cost estimates were calculated using Independent Hospital Pricing Authority data.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>A total of 2046 cases met the criteria for inclusion; over half (56%) were female and median age on admission was 44 years (interquartile range 27 years). Where opioid toxicity was the primary diagnosis, 70% of admissions did not specify the responsible opioid and 23% were related to heroin use. One-fifth of admissions occurred outside of metropolitan Adelaide. Individuals living in an area of relative socio-economic disadvantage were over-represented. Over half of admissions required a stay >24 h; 19% were admitted for ≥5 days, 22% required intensive care and ~10% required mechanical ventilation. The total estimated cost of admissions involving opioid toxicity in South Australia over the 3-year period was $18,230,546.50, equating to $5.6 million per annum.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>These findings highlight the significant personal, fiscal, and systemic impacts of opioid toxicity-related hospital admissions in South Australia and provide a baseline to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to reduce opioid-related harm, including real-time prescription monitoring and take-home naloxone supply.