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Effect of a single dose of pregabalin on post‐operative pain and pre‐operative anxiety in patients undergoing discectomy
Author(s) -
SPRENG U. J.,
DAHL V.,
RÆDER J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2011.02410.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pregabalin , anesthesia , pacu , visual analogue scale , placebo , anxiety , analgesic , morphine , randomized controlled trial , anxiolytic , discectomy , surgery , lumbar , alternative medicine , pathology , psychiatry
Background: Pregabalin acts as a membrane stabilizer and has both analgesic and anxiolytic effects. We hypothesized that one pre‐operative dose of pregabalin would reduce pre‐operative anxiety and post‐operative pain in patients undergoing discectomy. Methods: We performed a randomized, placebo‐controlled study of 150 mg pregabalin administered before lumbar discectomy in general anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was pain at rest [visual analogue scale (VAS)] 120 min after surgery. The secondary outcomes were morphine consumption, pre‐operative anxiety (VAS) and the occurrence of side effects. Results: The VAS scores for pain at rest and morphine consumption were higher in the placebo group during the 4‐h stay in the post‐anaesthetic care unit (PACU), but did not differ significantly 24 h after surgery. Pain scores at 7 days were similar and there was no difference in the occurrence of side effects. Pre‐operative anxiety was significantly lower in the pregabalin group (2.23±1.11 vs. 4.17±2.37, 95% confidence interval: 0.82–3.05, P =0.001) and there was a significant positive correlation between the pre‐operative anxiety score and post‐operative pain at 120 min in the pregabalin group. Conclusions: A single dose of pregabalin (150 mg) reduced post‐operative pain at rest and morphine consumption during the PACU period after lumbar discectomy. Pre‐operative anxiety was lower, without increased incidence of side effects.