Skip Navigation



BJA Advance Access published online on July 23, 2008
British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bja/aen215
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
101/4/535    most recent
aen215v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow E-letters: View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mathiesen, O.
Right arrow Articles by Dahl, J. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mathiesen, O.
Right arrow Articles by Dahl, J. B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2008. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Pregabalin and dexamethasone for postoperative pain control: a randomized controlled study in hip arthroplasty

O. Mathiesen1,*, L. S. Jacobsen2, H. E. Holm2, S. Randall2, L. Adamiec-Malmstroem2, B. K. Graungaard2, P. E. Holst2, K. L. Hilsted1 and J. B. Dahl1

1 Department of Anaesthesia, Copenhagen University Hospital, Ndr. Ringvej, DK-2600 Glostrup, Denmark
2 Department of Anaesthesia, Hoersholm Hospital, Hoersholm, Denmark

* Corresponding author. E-mail: olemat{at}dadlnet.dk

Background: Optimal pain treatment with minimal side-effects is essential for early mobility and recovery in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. We investigated the analgesic effect of pregabalin and dexamethasone in this surgical procedure.

Methods: One hundred and twenty patients were randomly allocated to either Group A (placebo), Group B (pregabalin 300 mg), or Group C (pregabalin 300 mg+dexamethasone 8 mg). The medication and acetaminophen 1 g were given before operation. Spinal anaesthesia was performed. Postoperative pain treatment was with acetaminophen 1 g three times daily and patient-controlled i.v morphine, 2.5 mg bolus. Nausea was treated with ondansetron. Morphine consumption, pain intensity at rest and during mobilization, nausea and vomiting, sedation, dizziness, and consumption of ondansetron were recorded 2, 4, and 24 h after operation. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Twenty-four hour morphine consumption was significantly reduced in Groups B [mean (SD) 24 (14) mg] and C [25 (19) mg] compared with Group A [47 (28) mg]. Vomiting was reduced in Group C compared with Group B (P=0.03). Sedation was significantly increased in Group B compared with the other groups.

Conclusions: Pregabalin resulted in a 50% reduction in 24 h postoperative morphine requirements. This was not associated with a reduced incidence of nausea or vomiting. Pregabalin resulted in increased levels of sedation. Combining pregabalin and dexamethasone provided no additional effects on pain or opioid requirements.

Keywords: analgesia, postoperative; pain, postoperative


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


E-letters:

Read all E-letters

Multimodal pain management – beware of generalizations
Boris Yanovski, et al.
British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2 Feb 2009 [Full text]

Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.