SINGLE DOSE OF ORAL GABAPENTIN FOR PREEMPTIVE ANALGESIA IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING TONSILLECTOMY

Abstract

Abstract : Gabapentin has an extensive safety record in the
treatment of children with seizures and chronic pain
syndromes. A prospective randomized double-blind study was
undertaken to establish the efficacy and safety of a single
oral dose of Gabapentin for preemptive analgesia in patients
undergoing tonsillectomy. The study was conducted on a total
of sixty patients (6-16 years) who were randomly allocated
into 2 groups, group G (Gabapentin group) and group P
(placebo group) who received a single dose of oral
gabapentin 10 mg kg body weight syrup or placebo
respectively 2 hours before the surgery. Pain assessment
was performed using a visual analog pain scale and
postoperative sedation was scored using Ramsay sedation
score. Side effects like dizziness, postoperative nausea
and vomiting were noted. The mean duration of analgesia
was higher in the Gabapentin group (10.75 hours vs 4 hours
for placebo) which was statistically significant (p0.001). The
mean arterial blood pressure (65.61.6 in group G and 69.41.5
in group P) and pulse rate (98.64.3 in group G and 103.15.6
in group P) were significantly lower in Gabapentin group
(p0.001). Statistically significant sedation was observed in the
Gabapentin group for up to 4 hours in the postoperative
period (p0.01). No other significant adverse effects were
observed in both the groups. Thus it can be concluded that
oral Gabapentin is an effective drug for post-operative pain
relief with better haemodynamics, acceptable sedation and
safety in the paediatric age group.
Keyword :Gabapentin, postoperative pain, tonsillectomy,
Preemptive analgesia.