Trials were analysed and the following data were extracted: first author’s last name; publication year, gabapentin dose and regimen, type of surgery, number of patients, pain assessment methods, types and methods of administration of rescue narcotics, and adverse outcomes. We recommend being selective with regard to using gabapentinoids for acute postoperative pain management after careful consideration of the potential side effect profile based on patient comorbidities as well as the expected severity of postoperative pain. Perioperative gabapentin, 1200 mg, administered preoperatively plus 600 mg every 8 hours continued for 72 hours after surgery did not affect time to pain cessation, the rate of pain resolution, or the proportion of patients with chronic pain at 6 months or 1 year following surgery. A significant number of RCTs have demonstrated conflicting results in the use of preoperative gabapentin. 19 Bharti et al 20 studied gabapentin administration among patients (n=40) undergoing mastectomy (20 received gabapentin and 20 received placebo) and demonstrated a reduction in the amount of morphine required during the initial 24 hours Gabapentin appears safe and well tolerated when used for persistent post-operative and post-traumatic pain in thoracic surgery patients, although minor side effects do occur. Gabapentin may relieve refractory chest wall pain in some of these patients, particularly those with more severe pain. Furthe Perioperative gabapentin upped the risk of delirium, new antipsychotic use, and pneumonia in older adults after major surgery, a retrospective study showed. Two RCTs 29, 31 reported findings on sedation levels of the patient; however, only one study 31 described sedation levels postoperatively after the administration of gabapentin. Abd El-Maksouda and colleagues 31 assessed the sedation levels of the patients on arrival in the PACU, and 1, 2, 6, 12, and 24-hours after surgery. This study used the Gabapentinoids were also ineffective in preventing chronic pain from developing after surgery, one of the primary justifications for using the drugs postoperatively. In three different studies patients were given 300mg of gabapentin or placebo, 2 hours prior to surgery. 20–22 Bang et. al. reported that following arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery, VAS scores taken at 2, 6, and 12 hours post-operatively were significantly lower in patients that received gabapentin compared to placebo. 20 After open Similarly, aside from 24 h after surgery, gabapentin significantly reduced pain with movement (25–27,31,34,35,37,38) by 18% to 28% (VAS 8.2 mm to 10.2 mm) after surgery . The pooled effects on VAS pain scores displayed significant heterogeneity, which was not explained by subgroup analyses based on surgical procedure, gabapentin dose or study Post-operative gabapentin (600 mg) may be equally effective as a preoperative dose in decreasing PACU narcotic use. Concomitant administration of gabapentin as part of a multi-modal pain management strategy including narcotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), and muscle relaxants does not improve pain scores. The Cleveland Clinic study had patients take a preemptive dose of three drugs: acetaminophen, the nerve pain medication gabapentin and the NSAID celecoxib (Celebrex). “Giving non-opioid pain medications before may help prevent the cascade of pain-causing chemicals that comes from your central nervous system after surgery,” explains Memtsoudis. We defined new postoperative gabapentin as fills for 7 days before surgery until 7 days after discharge. We excluded patients whose discharge disposition was hospice or death. The primary outcome was prolonged use of gabapentin, defined as a fill>90 days after discharge. Gabapentin and the related, more potent compound pregabalin have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of neuropathic pain as well as postoperative pain following spinal surgery and hysterectomy. They found that gabapentin resulted in a 35% reduction in total analgesic consumption in the first 24 hours following surgery. Gabapentin also resulted in 27% to 39% reduction in visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores in the first 24 hours postoperatively. Peri-operative gabapentin administration is effective in reducing pain scores, opioid requirements and opioid-related adverse effects in the first 24 hours after surgery. No serious side-effects were observed, though sedation was associated with gabapentin use. More than one-fifth of older adults prescribed gabapentin postoperatively filled a prescription >90 days after discharge, especially among patients with more comorbidities and concurrent prolonged opioid use, increasing the risk of adverse drug events and polypharmacy. Multimodal analgesia has been an increasingly adopted strategy in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway, 1 which aims to reduce opioid use by using nonopioid analgesia, such as regional or epidural analgesia, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and gabapentinoids. 2 Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that In summary, the administration of gabapentin was effective in decreasing postoperative narcotic consumption and the incidence of pruritus. There was a high risk of selection bias and a higher heterogeneity of knee flexion range in this analysis.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |