Effects of Pre-Operative Single Dose Gabapentin on Postoperative Pain Following Total Abdominal Hysterectomy: A Dose Finding Study

Background & Aims: The multimodal analgesia provides superior pain relief and reduces opioid consumption and its side effects. Gabapentin has been used successfully in multi-modal analgesia in different doses. We designed a double-blind randomized control trial to find the minimal effective dose of gabapentin in multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain following total abdominal hysterectomy. Material & Methods: After informed consent, total of 87 patients were randomly assigned to A, B & C groups to receive gabapentin orally 300 mg, 600 mg, and 900 mg respectively one to two hours before surgery. Postoperatively pain was managed by patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) using pethidine. Pain score, opioid consumption, and side effects of gabapentin were monitored. Rescue analgesia was given and monitored. Results: There was no statistically significant difference among the groups with respect to age, weight, height, pethidine consumption, and rescue analgesia. Mean pain scores were statistically insignificant at baseline, 8, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. Only at 4 hours, the highest pain score (mean) was found in group A, which is statistically significant. The side effects of gabapentin like nausea, vomiting, somnolence, and dizziness were also statistically insignificant. Conclusion: A single preoperative oral gabapentin 300 mg was found to be minimal effective dose in multimodal analgesic regimen for reducing post-operative pain and analgesic requirement following total abdominal hysterectomy.

Persistent Post-Surgical Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty at a Tertiary Care Hospital of a Low-Middle Income Country

Background: Persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) is pain that lasts for 3 months or more after a surgical intervention, where other causes of pain have been excluded. There is scarce knowledge about the prevalence of PPSP in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of PPSP after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our university hospital and explore factors associated with it. Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional study. Approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee. Patients undergoing elective unilateral total knee arthroplasty under general or regional anaesthesia were recruited over a six months period. A designated pain nurse called the patients three months after surgery and asked about the presence of pain, its location, type, degree and associated factors. Patients who reported pain at three months were called a year after the surgery and the same questions were asked. Results: Eighty-two patients had TKA during the study period. At the time of discharge, 57 (69.5%) patients were satisfied with their postoperative pain management. Three months after the surgery, 13 (15.8%) patients reported pain. Pain was mild in 11 and moderate in two patients. At one-year follow-up, three patients (3.6%) reported pain that was mild to moderate in intensity. Pain disturbed sleep in all three patients and disturbed daily life routines in one patient. No significant difference was found in any of the variables when compared with patients who did not report pain at three months. Conclusions: Although PPSP is a recognized adverse outcome after TKA, little is known about its prevalence in LMICs. In our patient population, 15.8% reported pain three months after TKA, while at one year, 3.6% of patients reported mild to moderate pain. Multicenter studies are recommended for determining the overall prevalence in our patient population and for getting directions for making targeted efforts towards its prevention and treatment.

Duration of Cessation of Smoking before Elective Surgery: Impact on Intraoperative Hemodynamics and Early Postoperative Pain in Developing Country

Aim and Background: It is estimated that up to 20% of patients coming for elective surgery are smokers and carry a risk of perioperative complications. Though smoking cessation and its impact on perioperative outcome are widely investigated worldwide we were unable to find any data in Pakistan. The objective of the study is to determine the impact of the duration of smoking cessation before elective surgery on intraoperative hemodynamics and postoperative pain in Pakistani population. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan, for one-year duration. A total of 260 patients scheduled for elective noncardiac surgery under general anaesthesia were recruited. Surgery under regional anaesthesia and minor surgery under general anaesthesia were excluded. Data on self-reported duration of smoking cessation by patients, intraoperative haemodynamics, postoperative pain scores and duration of hospital stay were collected by independently trained data collectors from the preoperative area until the patient is discharged from the hospital. Results: A data from 256 patients were analyzed. On the basis of self-reported duration of preoperative smoking cessation, patients were divided into 4 groups (Group 1: less than 2 days, Group 2: more than 2 days to 7 days, Group 3: more than 7 days to 4 weeks and Group 4: more than 4 weeks). It was found that the longer the duration of cessation of smoking is the less haemodynamic changes and lower postoperative pain scores. Length of stay did not show any difference among all four groups. No major postoperative pulmonary complication was found in any study patient. Conclusions: Duration of cessation of smoking before elective surgery is a significant predictor of intraoperative haemodynamics and early postoperative pain in Pakistani population. A short duration of smoking cessation also helps to avoid some of the adverse effects and reduces perioperative complications.

General Anesthesia with Laryngeal Mask Airway: Etomidate VS Propofol for Hemodynamic Stability

Background: Propofol is the most popular induction agent for laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion in current anaesthesia practice however associated hypotension has been reported as its major disadvantage. Etomidate, which produces less hypotension, can be considered as an alternative agent for LMA insertion. Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the hemodynamic effects of etomidate with propofol for induction of general anaesthesia (GA) for LMA. Ease of inserting LMA was also looked at. Material and Methods: It was a prospective randomized double blinded study. All ASA I and II patients of 15 - 60 years of age undergoing general anaesthesia with LMA for elective surgeries were included. Patients were induced with intravenous (I/V) fentanyl and induction agent either etomidate or propofol according to group randomization. LMA was inserted after 30 seconds. Intra-operative heart rate (HR), sys tolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), number of attempts and duration of LMA insertion were monitored. Results: There was no difference in the heart rate between the two groups. A significant drop was found for systolic blood pressure (SBP) in propofol group while diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was decreased in both the groups. In propofol group, successful insertion of LMA was achieved on the first attempt in 93.3% of patient as compared to 36.7% in etomidate group. Conclusion: Use of etomidate for induction of laryngeal mask anesthesia can prevent the hypotension following induction;however it may delay the insertion of laryngeal mask airway.

Postoperative Analgesia Following Caesarean Section: Intravenous Patient Controlled Analgesia Versus Conventional Continuous Infusion

Background: Management of postoperative pain after caesarean section (C/S) requires a balance between pain relief and undesirable side effects of drugs and technique. In order to improve postoperative pain management after caesarean section, we compared intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) with our current hospital practice, which is continuous opioid infusion. Method: We enrolled one hundred and twenty patients in our prospective randomized trial after an uneventful elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. All patients received 0.5 mg/kg bolus of pethidine on first complaint of pain or at 120 minutes after institution of spinal anaesthesia. Depending upon the randomization, Group P received IV-PCA with 0.15 mg/kg bolus pethidine with 10-minute lockout and Group C received continuous pethidine infusion at a rate of 0.15 mg/kg/hr. Statistical analysis: For qualitative variables means and standard deviations were computed and analyzed by T-test, Mann Whitney U test and repeated measures ANOVA. Frequency and percentages were computed for qualitative data and analyzed by Chi-Square and Fischer exact test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was treated as significant. Results: The numeric rating score for pain, need for rescue analgesia and incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly lower (p-value < 0.001) in IV-PCA group as compared to continuous infusion group at 6, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively, 98% of the patients were satisfied with pain management in Group P as compared to 70% (p < 0.001) in Group C. Conclusion: Our results showed improved pain control, less need for rescue analgesia for breakthrough pain, lower incidence of nausea and vomiting and greater patient satisfaction with IV-PCA. In the absence of preservative free narcotics for intrathecal use, postoperative pain management can be significantly improved by using IV-PCA instead of continuous opioid infusion in patients undergoing caesarean section.