Would you want to take Lyrica (pregabalin) or Neurontin (gabapentin) for pain relief after a major surgery? Both drugs belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids that are increasingly being prescribed to patients perioperatively (after surgery) as an alternative to opioid medication. Gabapentin and the related, more potent compound pregabalin have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of neuropathic pain as well as postoperative pain following spinal surgery and hysterectomy. To minimize the stress of operations, improve the patient experience, reduce variability, and optimize resource utilization, we implemented a thoracic enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol and evaluated progress after 1 year. In this study, we evaluated the benefits of gabapentinoids for pain management in patients undergoing thoracic onco-surgery in terms of opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) sparing effect. The role of preoperative gabapentin in postoperative pain management is not clear, particularly in patients receiving regional blockade. Patients undergoing thoracotomy benefit from epidural analgesia but still may experience significant postoperative Herein we report the first clinical study of the use of gabapentin in the treatment of persistent pain following thoracic surgery or trauma. The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and potential adverse effects of the use of gabapentin in this role. A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether gabapentin, a commonly prescribed neuropathic analgesic and anticonvulsant, is safe and beneficial in patients with post-thoracotomy pain following thoracic surgery. Sev Is there a role for Gabapentin in preventing or treating pain following thoracic surgery? Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. 2013;17:716–719. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivt301. Perioperative gabapentinoid administration in elective thoracic surgery may be associated with a higher risk of PPCs and no opioid-sparing effect. In non-thoracic surgeries, such as gynecological surgery, gabapentin and acetaminophen administered preoperatively have shown benefit in reducing opioid consumption [6 – 10]. Patients undergoing thoracotomy who received a thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) and preoperative gabapentin reported no variation in acute incisional pain [9] or shoulder pain [10] compared to controls who received TEA alone [9], [10]. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Gabapentin appears safe and well tolerated when used for persistent post-operative and post-traumatic pain in thoracic surgery patients, although minor side effects do occur. To our knowledge, this is the first prospective study assessing the use of gabapentin in cardiothoracic surgery patients. Methods: Gabapentin was prescribed to 60 consecutive outpatients with refractory pain persisting at four weeks or more after thoracic surgery or trauma. Whether this represents a form of psychosomatic dependence, and whether there may be detrimental effects from prolonged usage remains to be elucidated. Nevertheless, we believe our study has demonstrated the safety profile of using gabapentin in thoracic surgery patients for the first time, paving the way for future studies. Perioperative gabapentinoid administration in elective thoracic surgery may be associated with a higher risk of PPCs and no opioid-sparing effect. To evaluate the effect of perioperative gabapentin treatment for the prevention of persistent post-thoracotomy pain and to establish whether gabapentin has a significant therapeutic impact on acute postoperative pain. The systematic review of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated that the use of a single dose gabapentin does not reduce pain scores or the need for epidural or morphine immediately in hospital following thoracic surgery. Perioperative gabapentinoids in general surgery have been associated with an increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), while resulting in equivocal pain relief. This study's aim was to examine the utilization of gabapentinoids in thoracic surgery to determine the association of gabapentinoids with PPCs and perioperative opioid utilization. Gabapentin (NeurontinTM) has gained significant interest as part of a multi-modal pain management strategy for the control of acute pain. There has been considerable variation in both the dose and the regimen used in recent clinical trials.
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