Self-reported Use of Prescribed Buprenorphine Among US Adults With Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids Motivated by Pain.

This cross-sectional study of US adults examines the prevalence of and characteristics associated with prescribed buprenorphine use among US adults with pain-motivated nonmedical use of prescription opioids.

Women's Use of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services: Rates, Correlates, and Comparisons to Men.

In spite of evidence of increasing prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) among women, there is little information on gender differences in SUD treatment use. Nationally representative survey data were used to compare specialized SUD treatment among women and men with past-year DSM-5 SUD diagnoses (N = 5,789, 42.8% women). An estimated 10.7% of women and 9.9% of men (p = 0.45) received SUD treatment. Those who received treatment among both men and women had more problems than others. Five variables were independently associated with receipt of past-year treatment in both women and men and while five others were independently associated with receipt of treatment for only one gender. Interaction analysis, however, revealed no statistically significant gender differences in any correlate of treatment receipt. Although men were more likely to have SUDs than women, there were no significant differences by gender in rates or correlates of service use.

The Need for Multidisciplinary Hospital Teams for Injection Drug Use-related Infective Endocarditis.

Injection drug use-related infective endocarditis (IDU-IE) is a complex disease with increasing incidence. Although universally recognized that IDU-IE requires antibiotics and often requires cardiac surgery, most patients do not receive addiction treatment which substantially increases their risk of recurrent IDU-IE from drug use recurrence. Accordingly, a multidisciplinary approach integrating addiction treatment may benefit patients with IDU-IE. We describe the format and structure of a team called the Multidisciplinary Endocarditis Evaluation Team (MEET) whose purpose is to optimize, formalize, and standardize the care of patients with IDUIE. Given the complexity of IDU-IE, MEET is comprised of addiction medicine, anesthesia, cardiology, cardiac surgery, infectious disease, case management, nursing, and social work. MEET strived to be acceptable to patients and families to support their preferences and values. MEET focused treatment of IDU-IE on the patient's medical and surgical needs with attention to the patients' underlying substance use disorder as an essential component.

Perioperative Buprenorphine Management: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

Buprenorphine formulations (including buprenorphine/naloxone) are effective treatments of pain and opioid use disorder (OUD). Historically, perioperative management of patients prescribed buprenorphine involved abstinence from buprenorphine sufficient to allow for unrestricted mu-opioid receptor availability to full agonist opioid (FAO) treatment. Evidence is mounting that a multimodal analgesic strategy, including simultaneous administration of buprenorphine and FAO, nonopioid adjuncts such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and regional anesthesia, is a safe and effective perioperative strategy for the patient prescribed long-term buprenorphine treatment of OUD. This strategy will likely simplify management and more seamlessly provide continuous buprenorphine treatment of OUD after hospital discharge.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer and Comorbid Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Within a VA Health Care System.

A multidisciplinary approach provided safe and feasible cancer treatment in a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer and coexisting active substance use disorder.