Effect of pre-operative administration of single-dose of gabapentin on postop surgical pain in patients undergoing sternotomy for CABG

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of perioperative administration of a single dose of gabapentin on postoperative pain in patients undergoing sternotomy for CABG.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at the cardiology ward of Ch. Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Multan, form 9th June 2020to 9th June 2021. The participants were consecutively enrolled in the Gabapentin group, who received 1200 mg of Gabapentin two hours before the surgery for the two days, and the placebo group. The outcomes measurement involved the need for fentanyl intake in the first two postoperative days; pain at rest and in the moment in the first three postoperative days; postsurgical sleep scores; and patients reported quality of recovery.

Results: A total of 50 patients were enrolled in the study, 25 in each group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of fentanyl intake, sleep scores, visual analog pain score, and the need for any adjunctive pain medication (p>0.05). Similarly, no significant difference was found in terms of occurrence of side-effects and quality of recovery (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Pre-operative administration of a single dose of Gabapentin doesn’t significantly influence the post-operative pain, opioid consumption, sleep quality, or quality of recovery in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.