Table 1. Sample Characteristicsa.
| Variable | Benzodiazepine-naive patients, % (SE) (n = 875 408) | Patients with preoperative benzodiazepine use | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term (n = 23 484) | Intermittent (n = 47 669) | ||||
| % (SE) | P valueb | % (SE) | P valueb | ||
| Demographic characteristics | |||||
| Age, mean (SE), y | 59.6 (0.0) | 66.1 (0.1) | <.001 | 59.3 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Women | 64.3 (0.0) | 70.7 (0.2) | <.001 | 75.4 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Year of surgery, mean (SE) | 2010.9 (0.0) | 2011.6 (0.0) | <.001 | 2011.2 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Narcotic use in preoperative year | |||||
| Benzodiazepine prescription, No. (SE) | 0 | 7.9 (0.0) | <.001 | 1.7 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Days with benzodiazepine prescription, No. (SE) | 0 | 249 (1) | <.001 | 32.8 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Average daily diazepam milligram equivalents prescribed | 0 | 7.7 (0.1) | <.001 | 0.8 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Type of surgery | |||||
| Total arthroplasty | |||||
| Knee | 6.4 (0.0) | 7.7 (0.2) | <.001 | 6.2 (0.1) | .04 |
| Hip | 3.5 (0.0) | 3.4 (0.1) | .52 | 3.4 (0.1) | .42 |
| Cholecystectomy | |||||
| Laparoscopic | 12.2 (0.0) | 15.5 (0.2) | <.001 | 17.7 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Open | 0.6 (0.0) | 0.7 (0.1) | .08 | 0.6 (0.0) | .31 |
| Appendectomy | |||||
| Laparoscopic | 4.2 (0.0) | 3.0 (0.1) | <.001 | 3.8 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Open | 0.9 (0.0) | 0.7 (0.1) | <.001 | 0.7 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Cesarean delivery | 16.7 (0.0) | 1.5 (0.1) | <.001 | 9.9 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Functional endoscopic sinus surgery | 4.3 (0.0) | 5.3 (0.1) | <.001 | 7.3 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Cataract surgery | 47.2 (0.1) | 57.3 (0.3) | <.001 | 41.2 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Transurethral resection of the prostate | 1.3 (0.0) | 1.3 (0.1) | .88 | 1.2 (0.0) | .006 |
| Simple mastectomy | 2.5 (0.0) | 3.7 (0.1) | <.001 | 8.0 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Congestive heart failure | 7.5 (0.0) | 11.7 (0.2) | <.001 | 8.1 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Cardiac arrhythmias | 18.7 (0.0) | 28.7 (0.3) | <.001 | 23.1 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Valvular disease | 12.6 (0.0) | 20.1 (0.3) | <.001 | 16.1 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Pulmonary circulation disorders | 2.8 (0.0) | 5.1 (0.1) | <.001 | 3.3 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Peripheral vascular disorders | 12.8 (0.0) | 19.6 (0.3) | <.001 | 13.9 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Hypertension | |||||
| Uncomplicated | 54.5 (0.1) | 72.7 (0.3) | <.001 | 59.0 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Complicated | 9.7 (0.0) | 14.5 (0.2) | <.001 | 10.5 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Paralysis | 0.9 (0.0) | 1.7 (0.1) | <.001 | 1.2 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Other neurologic disorders | 4.8 (0.0) | 11.1 (0.2) | <.001 | 7.2 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 22.4 (0.0) | 36.3 (0.3) | <.001 | 29.1 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Diabetes | |||||
| Uncomplicated | 22.8 (0.0) | 27.3 (0.3) | <.001 | 21.6 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Complicated | 9.6 (0.0) | 11.5 (0.2) | <.001 | 8.7 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Hypothyroidism | 20.6 (0.0) | 31.4 (0.3) | <.001 | 27.2 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Kidney failure | 8.8 (0.0) | 12.0 (0.2) | <.001 | 8.2 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Liver disease | 7.8 (0.0) | 13.0 (0.2) | <.001 | 11.5 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 1.8 (0.0) | 3.5 (0.1) | <.001 | 2.7 (0.1) | <.001 |
| AIDS/HIV | 0.2 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.0) | <.001 | 0.2 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Lymphoma | 0.8 (0.0) | 1.3 (0.1) | <.001 | 1.1 (0.0) | <.001 |
| Metastatic cancer | 1.3 (0.0) | 2.2 (0.1) | <.001 | 3.0 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Solid tumor without metastases | 11.2 (0.0) | 15.8 (0.2) | <.001 | 16.6 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis/collagen vascular diseases | 6.4 (0.0) | 11.8 (0.2) | <.001 | 9.3 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Coagulopathy | 3.7 (0.0) | 5.1 (0.1) | <.001 | 4.6 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Obesity | 14.3 (0.0) | 16.8 (0.2) | <.001 | 17.0 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Weight loss | 4.8 (0.0) | 10.2 (0.2) | <.001 | 7.0 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Fluid and electrolyte disorder | 12.9 (0.0) | 23.0 (0.3) | <.001 | 16.9 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Blood loss anemia | 1.7 (0.0) | 2.9 (0.1) | <.001 | 2.0 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Deficiency anemia | 7.6 (0.0) | 13.5 (0.2) | <.001 | 9.8 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Alcohol abuse | 1.7 (0.0) | 4.3 (0.1) | <.001 | 3.1 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Drug abuse | 0.9 (0.0) | 4.3 (0.1) | <.001 | 2.1 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Psychosis | 1.5 (0.0) | 6.2 (0.2) | <.001 | 3.2 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Depression | 14.8 (0.0) | 48.4 (0.3) | <.001 | 35.8 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Anxiety disorder | 13.5 (0.0) | 59.8 (0.3) | <.001 | 48.1 (0.2) | <.001 |
a
Overall, patients with preoperative benzodiazepine use were older, more likely to be women, and had a higher incidence of many comorbidities.
b
P values reflect the comparison between their benzodiazepine cohort and benzodiazepine-naive patients and were computed using χ2 for categorical variables and 2-sample t tests for continuous variables.