Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major public health concern in the USA, resulting in high rates of overdose and other negative outcomes. Methadone, an OUD treatment, has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of overdose and improving overall health and quality of life. This study analysed the distribution of methadone for the treatment of OUD across the USA over the past decade and through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retrospective observational study using secondary data analysis of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Medicaid Databases.

USA.

Patients who were dispensed methadone at US opioid treatment programmes (OTPs).

The primary outcomes were the overall pattern in methadone distribution and the number of OTPs in the USA per year. The secondary outcome was Medicaid prescriptions for methadone.

Methadone distribution for OUD has expanded significantly over the past decade, with an average state increase of +96.96% from 2010 to 2020. There was a significant increase in overall distribution of methadone to OTP from 2010 to 2020 (+61.00%, p

There have been dynamic changes in methadone distribution for OUD. Furthermore, pronounced variation in methadone distribution among states was observed, with some states having no OTPs or Medicaid coverage. New policies are urgently needed to increase access to methadone treatment, address the opioid epidemic in the USA and reduce overdose deaths.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition commonly seen in the intensive care unit. COVID-19 has dramatically increased the incidence of ARDS—with this rise in cases comes the ability to detect predisposing factors perhaps not recognised before, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its associated conditions (hypertension, obesity, dyslipidaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus). In this systematic review, we seek to describe the complex relationship between MetS, its associated conditions and ARDS (including COVID-19 ARDS).

A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and Web of Science will be conducted. The population of interest is adults with ARDS and MetS (as defined according to the study author recognising that MetS definitions vary) or any MetS-associated condition. The control group will be adult patients with ARDS without MetS or any individual MetS-associated condition. We will search studies published in English, with a date restriction from the year 2000 to June 2023 and employ the search phrases ‘metabolic syndrome’, ‘acute respiratory distress syndrome’ and related terms. Search terms including ‘dyslipidaemia’, ‘hypertension’, ‘diabetes mellitus’ and ‘obesity’ will also be utilised. Outcomes of interest will include mortality (in-hospital, ICU, 28-day, 60-day and 90-day), days requiring mechanical ventilation and hospital and/or ICU length of stay. Study bias will be assessed using the NIH Bias Scale.

Ethical approval is not required because this study includes previously published and publicly accessible data. Findings from this review will be disseminated via publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

CRD42023405816.