A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF GABAPENTIN AND CLONIDINE PREMEDICATION ON POST OPERATIVE ANALGESIA REQUIREMENT FOLLOWING ABDOMINAL SURGERIES UNDER GENERAL ANAESTHESIA

AIM: Aim of our study was to compare the relative effectiveness of gabapentin and clonidine premedication on patients undergoing elective abdominal surgeries under G.A. OBJECTIVE: gabapentine and clonidine have anti-nociceptive properties. This study assess their efficacy in prolonging the analgesic effect intra-operative and postoperative analgesic requirement. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 225 patients of either sex of age between 20-60 years, ASA grade I & II, patient admitted to Hamidia hospital for elective abdominal surgeries under general anaesthesia were included in the study. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups 75 each group I : Control group (patients received placebo tablet at 90 min before the surgery), group II Gabapentin 300 mg tablet orally 90 min before surgery, groupIII: clonidine150 mu g tablet orally given 90 min before surgery. Duration of postoperative analgesia, Degree of postoperative pain (VAS score) and added rescue analgesia required in 24 hrs were recorded postoperatively. RESULT: Analysis reveled that there was no difference in the HR, SBP among the three group during the study. Duration of postoperative analgesia, observed from time of reversal to first demand of analgesia in the recovery room was more in group II compared to group I and group III (p-value < 0.001, highly significant). Pain perception was highly blunted in groups II compared to group I & group III. Total rescue analgesic requirement during the postoperative 24hrs period was much lower in group II inj Diclofenac compared to group I and group III. (p-value < 0.001, highly significant). CONCLUSION: Given 90 min before induction of GA oral gabapentin(300 mg) or clonidine(150 mu g) preoperatively was effective in lowering postoperative VAS pain score and consumption of analgesics, it was also shows that gabapentin significantly decreases postoperative pain intensity and analgesic consumption after abdominal surgeries.