The risk of infective endocarditis among people who inject drugs: A retrospective, population-based time series analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis is infective endocarditis related to injec-no significant change in this risk an increasingly common complication tion drug use and changes in opioid pre-occurred at the intervention point. among people who inject drugs. We scription rates from 2006 to 2015. We set Rather, the risk of infectious endocard-conducted this study to determine the intervention point at the fourth quar-itis appeared to have increased earlier whether the removal of traditional ter of 2011, when traditional controlled- and in parallel with the rise in hydro-controlled-release oxycodone from the release oxycodone was removed from morphone prescriptions. Hydromor-Canadian market would be associated the Canadian market. phone represented 16% of all opioid with an increase in the use of hydromor-prescriptions at the start of the observa-phone and an increased risk of infective RESULTS: We observed an increase in tion period and 53% by the end. endocarditis. the risk of admissions for infective endocarditis related to injection drug use INTERPRETATION: The risk of infective METHODS: We conducted a retrospec-during the study period. Before the endocarditis related to injection drug tive, population-based time series analy-intervention point, we observed a mean use is increasing and is temporally asso-sis using the linked health administrative of 13.4 admissions per quarter, and after ciated with increasing prescriptions for databases of Ontario, Canada. We meas-the intervention, we observed a mean of hydromorphone. This relation warrants ured the quarterly risk of admissions for 35.1 admissions per quarter. However, further exploration.