Increased dangers present when prescribing opioids in hospitalized patients
Under the direction of Dr. Sunil Sharma, a team of researchers found that 26 percent of high-risk patients with heart failure and undiagnosed sleep apnea who received opioids required urgent transfer to an ICU as opposed to only 4 percent of those not receiving opioids. The study shines light on the lesser-known impacts of the opioid epidemic, including the impact of narcotics in hospitalized patients.