G. Venkateshwarlu1, E. Madhulika2
Key part of recovery in post-operative period is adequate control of pain during rest and with activity. With the knowledge of and familiarity with pharmacology, various regional techniques, and the neurobiology of nociception, anaesthesiologists are continually in the forefront of clinical and research advances in acute postoperative pain management. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of Gabapentin in pre-emptive analgesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design was randomized and doubles blind. The patients were divided into 2 groups of 25 each with the help of computer generated random allocation. All patients were of ASA I- II physical status. Study group consisted of 25 patients receiving 300 mg of oral gabapentin 2 hours before surgery and the control group consisted of 25 patients receiving placebo 2 hours before surgery. Vitals, pain scores, adverse effects, time and dosage of rescue analgesic were recorded at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 hours RESULTS: Patients who received Gabapentin had statistically significant low pain scores, lesser requirement of rescue analgesic compared to placebo group. However, there is no statistically significant difference in haemodynamics and side-effects CONCLUSION: Gabapentin provides good pain relief in post-operative period. Hence, can be used as a pre-emptive analgesic.
