Letters1 September 2020
    Author, Article, and Disclosure Information

    Background: Although persistent opioid use after surgery, including cesarean birth, has been described, the risk for overdose and other serious opioid-related events (SOREs) after childbirth, specifically vaginal birth, remains unclear (1, 2).

    Objective: To assess risk for SOREs associated with postpartum opioid prescribing after childbirth, including both vaginal and cesarean births.

    Methods and Findings: We studied women aged 15 to 44 years enrolled in Tennessee Medicaid (TennCare) who were discharged after childbirth between 1 January 2007 and 20 August 2014. TennCare data were supplemented with birth certificate information and hospital discharge data from the Tennessee Hospital Discharge Data System. This ...

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