Objectives: Assess the effectiveness of hospital detoxification of opiate substitution treatment (OST) in patients who failed to withdraw as outpatients.
Methods: Retrospective study, conducted among patients admitted for withdrawal of OST in an addiction unit between 2005 and 2011. Referent physicians were interviewed about outcomes at M2, M3, M6 and M12.
Results: 47 patients were hospitalized for OST withdrawal. The opioid abstinence rates at 2, 6 and 12 months were 60, 28 and 21 %. No death occurred within 12 months after withdrawal. The only variables significantly associated with the M3 opioids abstinence were : age at admission and among the patients admitted for buprenorphine withdrawal, a low dose of buprenorphine at admission.
Conclusion: OST withdrawal in a specialized inpatient unit among patients with failure of outpatient withdrawal appears as an option, with an efficacy at least comparable to other methods of detoxification. It allows a comprehensive care and to prevent the risk of overdose.