TY - JOUR
TI - Gabapentin attenuates late but not acute pain after abdominal
hysterectomy
AU - Fassoulaki, A
AU - Stamatakis, E
AU - Petropoulos, G
AU - Siafaka, I and
AU - Hassiakos, D
AU - Sarantopoulos, C
JO - European Journal of Anaesthesiology
PY - 2006
VL - 23
TODO - 2
SP - 136-141
PB - Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
SN - 0265-0215, 1365-2346
TODO - 10.1017/S0265021505002048
TODO - pharmacology, gabapentin, morphine, paracetamol, codeine; surgical
procedures, abdominal hysterectomy; pain postoperative
TODO - Background and objective: Gabapentin has been suggested to decrease
acute postoperative pain. We evaluated the effect of gabapentin on pain
after abdominal hysterectomy. Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for
abdominal hysterectomy were randomized to receive orally gabapentin 400
mg 6 hourly or placebo. Treatment started 18 h preoperatively and
continued for 5 postoperative days. Pain (visual analogue score) and
consumption of morphine for 48 h and of oral paracetamol/codeine were
recorded after 2, 4, 8, 24 and 48 h and on days 3-5 postoperatively.
After 1 month, patients were interviewed by phone for pain, and
analgesic intake after hospital discharge. Results: Morphine consumption
(mean +/- SD) was 35 +/- 15.7 mg in the control and 28 +/- 12.1 mg in
the gabapentin group (P = 0.21). Median number (range) of paracetamol
500 mg/codeine 30 mg tablets taken during days 3-5 was 1.0 (0-6) in the
control and 2.0 (0-9) in the gabapentin group (P = 0.35). The visual
analogue scores at rest and after cough did not differ between the two
groups (F = 0.92, df = 1, P = 0.34 and F = 0.56, df = 1, P = 0.46,
respectively). One month after surgery, 22/27 (8196) of the control
group and 9/25 (36%) of the gabapentin group reported pain in the
surgical area (chi(2) = 11.15, P = 0.002), while 11/27 (41%) of
controls and 7/25 (28%) of gabapentin patients consumed analgesics for
pain (chi(2) = 0.93, P = 0.39). The intensity of pain was decreased in
the gabapentin group (chi(2) = 12.6, P = 0.003). Conclusions: Gabapentin
has no effect on immediate pain after abdominal hysterectomy but
decreases pain I month postoperatively.
ER -