Morteza Hashemian1, Javad Jourian2, Mohammad Reza Lashkarizadeh2*
Introduction: Controlling the pathophysiology of postoperative acute pain reduces stress responses, sympathetic tone, spinal reflexes and morbidity and mortality rates and increases patient satisfaction and the health-related quality of life. On the other hand, postoperative shivering increases oxygen consumption, intraocular pressure, intracranial pressure, the surgical site pain and cardiovascular supply-demand balance disorder. Therefore, this study investigated the analgesic and anti-shivering effects of oral consumption of clonidine and pregabalin in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Research method: In this randomized clinical trial, 67 candidates for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy - aged between 18 and 85 years - were enrolled using the same anesthetic method. Before the administration of anesthetic medications and intubation, the first, the second and the third groups received clonidine (0.2 mg, oral), pregabalin (50 mg, oral) and vitamin C (100 mg, oral), respectively. The blood pressure levels and heart rate were recorded every fifteen minutes before the surgery, immediately after initiation of the surgery, after the surgery and in the recovery room. The levels of pain were recorded every 15 minutes, in the recovery room, when leaving the recovery room and 24 hours later. The amount of shivering, nausea and vomiting were recorded in the recovery room. The data were analyzed in SPSS 11, using T-test and ANOVA test.
Results: There was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of their blood pressure levels and heart rate before anesthesia, during the surgery and in the recovery room. There was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of shivering, nausea and vomiting. Clonidine significantly decreased pain at time 30 min [in the recovery room] compared with the other two groups; however, no significant difference was observed at other times. There was also no significant difference between the 3 groups in terms of pain levels, when leaving the recovery room. There was a significant difference between the clonidine and pregabalin groups and the vitamin C group in terms of pain levels, 24 hours after the surgery. Oral administration of both drugs reduced the pain levels compared with the vitamin C group, 24 hours after the surgery.
Conclusion: Clonidine and pregabalin both reduced the postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, without changing the hemodynamic state of the patients.
