Effectiveness of gabapentin for pain management after surgery of the upper abdomen

• Main Authors: Ángela Moore Carvajal, Katia Velázquez González, Ricardo Valdés Llerena, Obdulia Barrena Aguado
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas. Editorial de Ciencias Médicas (ECIMED) 2019-04-01
• Series: Revista Cubana de Anestesiología y Reanimación
• Subjects: anticonvulsivantes; dolor posoperatorio
• Online Access: http://www.revanestesia.sld.cu/index.php/anestRean/article/view/550

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Introduction:</strong> Post-operative pain in upper thorax and hemiabdomen surgery has a solid neuropathic component; it is therefore associated with evolution towards chronic pain. On this basis, anticonvulsants are applied as part of the multimodal treatment.<br /> <strong>Objectives:</strong> To evaluate analgesic effectiveness and safety of gabapentin for management of pain after thorax and upper abdomen surgery.<br /> <strong>Method:</strong> A quasiexperimental, comparative and prospective study was conducted with the patients announced for surgery of the upper abdomen and thorax, in the period from 2015 to 2017. Thirty patients divided into 2 groups were included. The Group G (n=14) received treatment with gabapentin 100 mg orally the day before the intervention and every 12 h in the postoperative period until 24 h. The Group C (n=16) received the conventional analgesia prescribed for this type of intervention. <br /> <strong>Results:</strong> The sample was homogeneous regarding age and sex. Pain intensity levels were lower in the gabapentin group and this difference becomes more significant 24 hours after surgery. This corresponds to a lower need for rescue analgesia (71% vs. 100%). Associated complications were more frequent in the study group at the expense of nausea, although there were no significant differences. <br /> <strong>Conclusions:</strong> The use of gabapentin in the perioperative period guarantees better pain control with few complications.</span>