Comparative evaluation of two doses of pregabalin as oral premedication for laparoscopic sterilisation with respect to analgesic efficacy and time to discharge

Introduction: Pain management plays a very important role in recovery after ambulatory surgery and any delay in the time to discharge may lead to logistic problems associated with increased hospital stay for a day care procedure. A higher dose of opioid may be needed for better analgesia which may lead to complications such as respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting. Newer drugs and agents are being used to prevent such complications and decrease hospital stay post procedure. We present a study where preemptive use of two doses of Pregabalin, 75mg and 150mg was evaluated not only for its analgesic efficacy but also to ascertain comparative effects on the time to discharge in patients undergoing laparoscopic sterilisation. Observations and Results: Hundred patients included in the study, were comparable with respect to age, ASA physical status, educational status and body mass index. The VAS score at rest at 2,3 and 4hours post-surgery was significantly less in the P150 group as analyzed by the Mann Whitney test (p value of 0.001 for each recording). We found that 150 mg pregabalin delays the need for first rescue analgesic administration even though clinically both doses were comparable. The time to discharge between the two groups as per the Post Anaesthesia discharge scoring system (PADSS) was comparable. Conclusion: The multimodal approach to analgesia especially in day care surgeries have not only reduced the time to discharge but also improved patient outcome. This has become possible by using certain adjuvant drugs with analgesic effects that have proven to be beneficial in preventing central sensitisation. We report that Preemptive Pregabalin 150mg has a better VAS scores for pain at rest and mobilisation after laparoscopic sterilisation and also did not delay the time to discharge. Keywords: Ambulatory surgery, Premedication, Preemptive, Pain, Analgesia discharge time.