JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS
AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
A&A International Anesthesia Research Society
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Anesth Analg 2008; 106:334-338
© 2008 International Anesthesia Research Society
doi: 10.1213/01.ane.0000295786.66822.60
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a colleague
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fassoulaki, A.
Right arrow Articles by Sarantopoulos, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fassoulaki, A.
Right arrow Articles by Sarantopoulos, C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Clinical Pharmacology
Right arrow Regional Anesthesia
Right arrow Pharmacology

ANALGESIA

Preoperative Gabapentin: The Effect on Ropivacaine Subarachnoid Block and Hemodynamics

Argyro Fassoulaki, MD, PhD, DEAA*, Vassiliki Chatziara, MD{dagger}, Aikaterini Melemeni, MD, DESA*, Marianna Zotou, MD{dagger}, and Constantine Sarantopoulos, MD, PhD, DEAA{ddagger}

From the *Department of Anesthesiology, Aretaieio Hospital, Medical School, {dagger}Department of Anesthesiology, St. Savas Hospital, Athens, Greece; and {ddagger}Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Argyro Fassoulaki, MD, PhD, DEAA, Department of Anesthesiology, Aretaieio Hospital, Medical School, 76 Vassilissis Sofias Ave., 11528 Athens, Greece. Address e-mail to fassoula{at}aretaieio.uoa.gr or afassou1{at}otenet.gr.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gabapentin is an adjuvant analgesic and may enhance the spread of subarachnoid block. We investigated the effects of pretreatment with gabapentin on subarachnoid block characteristics and hemodynamics.

METHODS: Seventy patients undergoing transurethral procedures under subarachnoid anesthesia with 2.2 mL of 0.75% ropivacaine were randomly assigned to receive preoperatively 400 mg of gabapentin 6 hourly, up to a total dose of 1200 mg, or placebo. Sensory and motor blocks were assessed every 30 min until regression of sensory block to L4. At the same time intervals, systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressures and heart rate were recorded.

RESULTS: There were no differences between groups in the sensory block levels or degree of motor block. Sensory block 150 min after the subarachnoid injection had regressed to L4 in 26 of 32 patients in the gabapentin group and in 25 of the 33 patients in the control group. Systolic arterial blood pressure was decreased in the gabapentin group (P = 0.002 for the main effect of group, and P = 0.03 at 60 min between the groups). The diastolic arterial blood pressure did not differ between the groups, but overall, the heart rate was more rapid in the gabapentin group (P = 0.002, but only for baseline values between the groups, P = 0.036).

CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with gabapentin had no effect on the spread of sensory block or the regression of motor block but was associated with lower systolic arterial blood pressure values in patients undergoing subarachnoid anesthesia with ropivacaine.






Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 2008 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.