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Article: The use of gabapentin for post-operative and post-traumatic pain in thoracic surgery patients

TitleThe use of gabapentin for post-operative and post-traumatic pain in thoracic surgery patients
Authors
KeywordsChest wall
Gabapentin
Pain
Thoracotomy
Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)
Issue Date2006
Citation
European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, 2006, v. 29 n. 5, p. 795-799 How to Cite?
AbstractObjective: The pain following thoracic surgery and trauma is often refractory to conventional analgesic strategies. However, it shares key characteristics with neuropathic pain which gabapentin, an anticonvulsant, has been proven to effectively treat. 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 out-patients with refractory pain persisting at four weeks or more after thoracic surgery or trauma. Follow-up of 45 patients (75%) was performed for a median of 21 months (range: 12-28), and clinical data collected prospectively. The mean age of these patients was 51.6 years (range 22-83). Of these 45 patients, 22 had received video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), 8 had received thoracotomy, 3 had received median sternotomy, and 12 were treated for blunt chest trauma. Results: The mean duration of pre-treatment refractory pain was 5.76 months (range 1-62). The mean duration of gabapentin use was 21.9 weeks (range 1-68). No deaths or major complications were encountered. Minor side effects-mostly somnolence and dizziness-occurred in 18 patients (40.0%), causing 3 patients (6.7%) to discontinue gabapentin. Overall, 33 patients (73.3%) noted reduction of pain. Chest wall paresthesia distinguishable from wound pain was relieved in 24 (75.0%) of 32 affected patients. Severe initial pain was significantly correlated with pain relief using gabapentin (p = 0.009). No other demographical or clinical variable correlated with benefit or side effects. Satisfaction with gabapentin use was expressed by 40 patients (88.9%). Side effects were not a source of dissatisfaction in any patient. Conclusions: 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. Gabapentin may relieve refractory chest wall pain in some of these patients, particularly those with more severe pain. Further studies are warranted to define the role of gabapentin in cardiothoracic surgical practice. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/196671
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 3.1
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.974
ISI Accession Number ID

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorSihoe, ADL-
dc.contributor.authorLee, T-W-
dc.contributor.authorWan, IYP-
dc.contributor.authorThung, K-H-
dc.contributor.authorYim, APC-
dc.date.accessioned2014-04-24T02:10:32Z-
dc.date.available2014-04-24T02:10:32Z-
dc.date.issued2006-
dc.identifier.citationEuropean Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, 2006, v. 29 n. 5, p. 795-799-
dc.identifier.issn1010-7940-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/196671-
dc.description.abstractObjective: The pain following thoracic surgery and trauma is often refractory to conventional analgesic strategies. However, it shares key characteristics with neuropathic pain which gabapentin, an anticonvulsant, has been proven to effectively treat. 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 out-patients with refractory pain persisting at four weeks or more after thoracic surgery or trauma. Follow-up of 45 patients (75%) was performed for a median of 21 months (range: 12-28), and clinical data collected prospectively. The mean age of these patients was 51.6 years (range 22-83). Of these 45 patients, 22 had received video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), 8 had received thoracotomy, 3 had received median sternotomy, and 12 were treated for blunt chest trauma. Results: The mean duration of pre-treatment refractory pain was 5.76 months (range 1-62). The mean duration of gabapentin use was 21.9 weeks (range 1-68). No deaths or major complications were encountered. Minor side effects-mostly somnolence and dizziness-occurred in 18 patients (40.0%), causing 3 patients (6.7%) to discontinue gabapentin. Overall, 33 patients (73.3%) noted reduction of pain. Chest wall paresthesia distinguishable from wound pain was relieved in 24 (75.0%) of 32 affected patients. Severe initial pain was significantly correlated with pain relief using gabapentin (p = 0.009). No other demographical or clinical variable correlated with benefit or side effects. Satisfaction with gabapentin use was expressed by 40 patients (88.9%). Side effects were not a source of dissatisfaction in any patient. Conclusions: 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. Gabapentin may relieve refractory chest wall pain in some of these patients, particularly those with more severe pain. Further studies are warranted to define the role of gabapentin in cardiothoracic surgical practice. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.-
dc.languageeng-
dc.relation.ispartofEuropean Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery-
dc.subjectChest wall-
dc.subjectGabapentin-
dc.subjectPain-
dc.subjectThoracotomy-
dc.subjectVideo-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)-
dc.titleThe use of gabapentin for post-operative and post-traumatic pain in thoracic surgery patients-
dc.typeArticle-
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltext-
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.ejcts.2006.02.020-
dc.identifier.pmid16581258-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-33646106920-
dc.identifier.volume29-
dc.identifier.issue5-
dc.identifier.spage795-
dc.identifier.epage799-
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000237923200028-
dc.identifier.issnl1010-7940-

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