Reduction of Opiates for Ambulatory Surgery

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 116 people die every day in this country from an opioid-related overdose. That statistic represents more than 42 000 people a year, more than the annual number of deaths due to automobile crashes or homicides. In 2014, 47 055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, and 60.9% of those involved an opioid. The following year, this number grew to 53 000 deaths and the percentage involving at least 1 opioid drug increased to 63.1%. In 1999, only 180 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per capita were sold in the United States. In 2015, 640 MMEs per capita were sold, representing a 3.6-times increase.

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