Anesthesia and analgesia
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Aug 2012
Review Meta AnalysisThe prevention of chronic postsurgical pain using gabapentin and pregabalin: a combined systematic review and meta-analysis.
Many clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of gabapentin and pregabalin administration in the perioperative period as an adjunct to reduce acute postoperative pain. However, very few clinical trials have examined the use of gabapentin and pregabalin for the prevention of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). We (1) systematically reviewed the published literature pertaining to the prevention of CPSP (≥ 2 months after surgery) after perioperative administration of gabapentin and pregabalin and (2) performed a meta-analysis using studies that report sufficient data. A search of electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, IPA, and CINAHL) for relevant English-language trials to June 2011 was conducted. ⋯ The present review supports the view that perioperative administration of gabapentin and pregabalin are effective in reducing the incidence of CPSP. Better-designed and appropriately powered clinical trials are needed to confirm these early findings.