Constipation medical management and opioid utilisation in paediatric patients with solid tumours during inpatient admission (Pediatric Hospital Information System, 2015–2019)
| Medication | All admissions N=79 530 | Constipation admissions N=16 306 | No constipation admissions* N=63 224 |
| Anti-Constipation | 36 444 (45.8) | 11 912 (73.1) | 24 532 (38.8) |
| Polyethyl glycol–electrolyte | 25 175 (31.7) | 8874 (54.4) | 16 301 (25.8) |
| Senna | 10 325 (13.0) | 4384 (26.9) | 5941 (9.4) |
| Lactulose | 5501 (6.9) | 2272 (16.7) | 2774 (4.4) |
| Docusate | 11 297 (14.2) | 4139 (25.4) | 7158 (11.3) |
| Electrolyte laxatives | 865 (1.1) | 559 (3.4) | 306 (0.5) |
| Glycerin | 1745 (2.2) | 641 (3.9) | 1104 (1.7) |
| Mineral oil | 834 (1.0) | 312 (1.9) | 522 (0.8) |
| Bisacodyl | 2094 (2.6) | 888 (5.4) | 1206 (1.9) |
| Laxative combination† | 806 (1.0) | 400 (2.5) | 406 (0.6) |
| Total different laxatives taken | |||
| 0 | 44 229 (55.6) | 4679 (28.7) | 39 550 (62.6) |
| 1 | 20 359 (25.6) | 5098 (31.3) | 15 261 (24.1) |
| 2 | 9433 (11.9) | 3568 (21.9) | 5865 (9.3) |
| 3 or more | 5509 (6.9) | 2961 (18.2) | 2548 (4.0) |
| Opioid group | |||
| None | 43 627 (54.9) | 8120 (49.8) | 35 507 (56.2) |
| Fentanyl only | 3598 (4.5) | 485 (3.0) | 3113 (4.9) |
| ≤2 days of other opioids | 12 068 (15.2) | 2304 (14.1) | 9764 (15.4) |
| >2 days of other opioids | 20 237 (25.4) | 5397 (33.1) | 14 840 (23.5) |
| Duration of medication (when used) (IQR) | |||
| Median polyethyl days | 2 (1–4) | 3 (2–5) | 2 (1–4) |
| Median senna days | 3 (1–5) | 3 (2–6) | 2 (1–5) |
| Median docusate days | 3 (2–6) | 4 (2–6) | 3 (2–5) |
| Median lactulose days | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) |
Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
*Administration of >2 constipation medications without the presence of a constipation diagnosis.
†Excludes combinations with iron.