Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37954704›Full record

ArticleCureus2023

The Impact of Non-opioid Analgesic Usage on Total Opioid Load During Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation: A Retrospective Study.

Joshua D King, Kylo Cautivar, Duc A Tran, Mohammad Ali, Nicholas Schmidt, Michelle McSkane, Eugene Pak

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Gabapentin and cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury: A multinational cohort of 49,925 patients.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Joshua D KingPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Kylo CautivarPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Duc A TranPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Mohammad AliPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Nicholas SchmidtPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Michelle McSkanePhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Eugene PakPain Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, USA.
Loma Linda University Medical Center · USLoma Linda University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Patients staying in acute rehabilitation often use large amounts of opioids during their stay. There are a number of reasons for this increased opioid exposure, including but not limited to daily exercises with physical and occupational therapists, increased demand on a healing body, and use of previously atrophying musculature. Some physiatrists have noticed that patients who concurrently are prescribed medications such as Robaxin seem to require fewer opioids during their stay in acute rehabilitation. This study aimed to determine the association between non-opioid analgesic use and total opioid load, as measured using morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs), during inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury. Methodology A retrospective study of individuals with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury admitted to an acute inpatient rehabilitation program was performed. Non-opioid medications that were reviewed in the study included acetaminophen, amitriptyline, baclofen, diclofenac, gabapentin, ibuprofen, lidocaine, methocarbamol, nortriptyline, and pregabalin. Five of the most-used non-opioid medications (acetaminophen, diclofenac, gabapentin, lidocaine, and methocarbamol) were statistically analyzed using regression and analysis of variance to evaluate for any significant variables. Results Results showed that the average daily dose of acetaminophen has a significant effect on the average daily MME and that the average daily dose of gabapentin and methocarbamol each have a significant effect on the change of daily MME usage from admission to discharge from acute rehab (ΔMME). Results also showed that the mere presence of methocarbamol (regardless of daily or total dosage) had a significant effect on the ΔMME. Conclusions Based on these findings, physicians may want to consider prescribing acetaminophen, gabapentin, or methocarbamol for patients admitted for inpatient rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury who require high amounts of opioids.

Indexed as

acetaminophenacute inpatient rehabilitationamitriptylineaspirinbaclofendiclofenac gelgabapentinibuprofenlidocaine patchmethocarbamol

Identifiers

PMID37954704
PMCPMC10638099
OpenAlexW4387574562

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.