Objective: This study aimed to estimate the clinical utility of performing multi-gene pharmacogenetic testing on patients undergoing gynecologic surgery/procedure by evaluating the prescribing rate of Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) level A medications and frequency of drug-gene interactions (DGIs).
Methods: The electronic health record was queried for 76 current procedural terminology codes to identify gynecologic surgeries/procedures that occurred between 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020 in patients with at least one of 152 international classification of disease codes. Prescription data for CPIC level A medications was extracted. Those enrolled in the Penn Medicine Biobank were assessed for DGIs.
Results: The cohort consisted of 7798 female patients and 682 were in the biobank. Up to 6 years following their surgery or procedure, 80% were ordered ≥1 CPIC level A medication. Over half (54%) of these medications were ordered within 3 days after their surgery or procedure. The most common CPIC level A medications ordered were ibuprofen (57%) and ondansetron (42%). Overall, 7% of the cohort had ≥1 known or predicted DGI with medications they were prescribed.
Conclusion: Multi-gene pharmacogenetic testing may be beneficial to gynecologic surgery/procedure patients by assisting clinicians with prescribing postoperative analgesics and future medications.
Keywords: PGx; Pharmacogenomics; analgesics; gynecologic surgery; multi-gene; pain; pharmacogenetics.