The effect of pre-operative administration of gabapentin on post-operative pain relief after herniorrhaphy.
BACKGROUND
Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant, recently has been suggested as an effective post-operative "analgesic" agent. The objective of the present study was to examine the analgesic effectiveness and opioid-sparing effects associated with the use of a single dose of gabapentin as a prophylactic analgesic.


METHODS
In a randomized double-blinded clinical trial, 50 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients with an age range of 40-60 years who were the candidate for inguinal herniorrhaphy under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive 400 mg gabapentin or placebo 2 h prior to surgery. Post-operatively, the pain was assessed on a visual analog scale (VAS) at 2, 4, 12 and 24 h at rest. Morphine 0.05 mg/kg intravenously was used to treat post-operative pain on patient's demand. Total morphine consumption in the first 24 h after surgery was also recorded.


RESULTS
Patients in the gabapentin group had significantly lower VAS scores at the all-time intervals of study than those in the placebo group (P < 0.05). The total morphine consumption in the first 24 h after surgery was also significantly lower in gabapentin group than in the placebo group (0.9 ± 1.23 vs. 1.8 ± 1.5; P = 0.003). There was no significant difference between the first time of analgesic request among the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, prophylactic administration of gabapentin decreases pain scores and analgesic consumption in the first 24 h after repair of inguinal hernia.
Department of Anesthesiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Alireza
A
Mahoori
Department of Anesthesiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Heydar
H
Noroozinia
Department of Anesthesiology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Ebrahim
E
Hasani
Imam Khomeini Training Hospital, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Sonia
S
Hosainzadeh
Analgesic requirement; gabapentin; herniorrhaphy; post-operative pain