AAOS News: New Analysis Shows Use of EXPAREL Reduces Length of TKA Hospital Stay

Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc.  has announced results of new data showing that EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) infiltration compared to a standard analgesic regimen in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients significantly cut hospital stays and increases the chances that patients will be discharged home rather than to a care facility. The poster, authored by researchers from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore in Maryland, and Plano Orthopaedics Sports Medicine and Spine Center in Texas, was presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2016 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
 
“The results of this analysis are encouraging because they suggest that the use of EXPAREL not only allows us to get our patients up and out of the hospital sooner, but also increases the likelihood we can send them directly home,” said Michael Mont, M.D., director of the Center for Joint Preservation and Replacement at Sinai Hospital and an author on the poster. “The ability to recover at home, rather than in a short-term nursing facility or rehabilitation center, not only lends itself to favorable hospital economics, but also—importantly—toward a more comfortable patient recovery experience.”
 
In a retrospective analysis, supported by Pacira, researchers reviewed data from the Premier hospital discharge database in order to identify patients ages 18 and older who underwent an inpatient TKA procedure between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. The analysis compared 94,828 patients who had received either a standard analgesic regimen (80,160) or EXPAREL (14,668).
 
Key findings for patients receiving EXPAREL compared to the standard analgesic modalities included:
 

• Nearly a half-day reduction in length of hospital stay (2.58 vs 2.98 days, respectively; p<0.001)
• More patients discharged directly to home rather than an interim care facility (73.2% vs 66.6%, respectively)
• A higher likelihood of being discharged home, according to a logistic regression analysis (OR=1.49 for patients in the EXPAREL group; p<0.001)

 
“Today’s dynamic healthcare environment of accountable care, bundled payments and patient satisfaction-driven reimbursement are evidence of the critical role of non-opioid options such as EXPAREL for postsurgical pain management,” said David Stack, CEO/chairman of Pacira. “This analysis provides further evidence that the use of EXPAREL can have a substantial positive impact on patient outcomes while delivering strong value to the surgical community, hospital administrators and healthcare economics.”
 
EXPAREL is currently indicated for single-dose infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. The product combines bupivacaine with DepoFoam, a product delivery technology that delivers medication over a desired time period. EXPAREL represents the first and only multivesicular liposome local anesthetic that can be utilized in the peri- or postsurgical setting. By utilizing the DepoFoam platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing significant reductions in cumulative pain score with a decrease in opioid consumption; the clinical benefit of the opioid reduction was not demonstrated.
 
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the clinical and commercial development of new products that meet the needs of acute care practitioners and their patients. The company’s flagship product, EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a non-opioid local analgesic for postsurgical pain control, was commercially launched in the United States in April 2012.