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Clinical Trials/NCT00684112
NCT00684112
Completed
Phase 3

Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin After Scoliosis Surgery in Children

The Hospital for Sick Children1 site in 1 country35 target enrollmentMay 2008

Overview

Phase
Phase 3
Intervention
Gabapentin
Conditions
Scoliosis
Sponsor
The Hospital for Sick Children
Enrollment
35
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Total morphine consumption postoperatively.
Status
Completed
Last Updated
7 years ago

Overview

Brief Summary

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether the use of gabapentin will improve postoperative analgesia and reduce opioid consumption and side effects in children undergoing corrective spinal surgery for idiopathic scoliosis. Secondary aims are to evaluate whether use of gabapentin reduces pain scores, decreases postoperative nausea and vomiting, decreases persisting pain and improves patient satisfaction.

Detailed Description

Surgical correction of scoliosis involves major orthopedic surgery, and can lead to severe acute postoperative pain and persistent neuropathic pain. The mainstays of treating postoperative pain are acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), systemic opioids, and local anesthetic techniques. Despite being effective, their use is limited by adverse side effects. Acute postoperative pain involves multiple mechanisms and neural pathways, therefore a combination of different analgestic medications acting through different mechanisms, may be the most effective treatment. This strategy may also reduce the need for, and side effects of, using high doses of any one particular class of drugs. Gabapentin is safe and well tolerated with few side effects and has minimal interactions with other drugs. The use of gabapentin to treat acute postoperative pain may improve quality of analgesia, result in decreased requirements for opioids and might consequently reduce the incidence of opioid induced side effects. It may also have a direct effect on postoperative nausea and vomiting, and decrease the incidence of persistent neuropathic pain. These qualities make gabapentin an attractive agent for use in management of postoperative pain in children undergoing corrective spinal injury. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether the use of gabapentin will improve postoperative analgesia and reduce opioid consumption and side effects in children undergoing corrective spinal surgery for idiopathic scoliosis. Secondary aims are to evaluate whether use of gabapentin reduces pain scores, decreases postoperative nausea and vomiting, decreases persisting pain and improves patient satisfaction.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
May 2008
End Date
February 2010
Last Updated
7 years ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

Arie Peliowski

Staff Anesthesiologist

The Hospital for Sick Children

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • 10 - 17 years of age
  • scheduled for elective surgical correction of scoliosis
  • able to operate a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump

Exclusion Criteria

  • unable to cooperate
  • unable to operate the PCA pump
  • unable to rate pain
  • have a known allergy or sensitivity to gabapentin or morphine
  • have a history of chronic pain or daily analgesic use
  • have taken acetaminophen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or an antacid within a 24-hour period prior to surgery

Arms & Interventions

Gabapentin

Single dose preoperative gabapentin

Intervention: Gabapentin

Placebo Control

Single dose preoperative placebo control

Intervention: Placebo

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Total morphine consumption postoperatively.

Time Frame: 0 to 24 hours postoperatively

Secondary Outcomes

  • Time to first rescue analgesia.(Determined by outcome)
  • Pain intensity scores at rest and with movement(Assessed at 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours, and 1 week postoperatively and at the 6-week outpatient follow up visit.)
  • Incidence and severity of nausea, vomiting, pruritis, sedation, dizziness, and presence of persisting pain symptoms(Assessed at 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours postoperatively.)
  • Time to first postoperative oral intake as a measure of bowel function.(Determined by outcome)

Study Sites (1)

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