Injury
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A double-blind, randomized controlled trial of gabapentin vs. placebo for acute pain management in critically ill patients with rib fractures.
Achieving adequate pain control for rib fractures remains challenging; prescription of alternatives to narcotics is imperative to curtail the current opioid epidemic. Although gabapentin has shown promise following elective thoracic procedures, its efficacy in patients with rib fractures remains unstudied. We hypothesized that gabapentin, as compared to placebo, would both improve acute pain control and decrease narcotic use among critically ill patients with rib fractures. ⋯ In this group of critically ill patients with rib fractures, gabapentin did not improve acute outcomes for up to one month of treatment.