Association of prescription opioid use on mortality and hospital length of stay in the intensive care unit.

Objective: Several studies show that chronic opioid dependence leads to higher in-hospital mortality, increased risk of hospital readmissions, and worse outcomes in trauma cases. However, the association of outpatient prescription opioid use on morbidity and mortality has not been adequately evaluated in a critical care setting. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between chronic opioid use and mortality after an ICU admission.