The Analgesic effects of Gabapentin after Total Abdominal Hysterectomy.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of Gabapentin in reducing postoperative pain after abdominal hysterectomy. Study Design: Cross-sectional Observational study. Setting: Department of Anesthesiology and Gynecology/Obstetrics, Taj Medical Complex, Karachi, Pakistan. Period: September 15, 2024, to March 15, 2025. Methods: This study was conducted over three months using convenience sampling. It included 73 females between 35 and 65 years of age scheduled for elective total abdominal hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy, and with American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II status. Patients received 1200 mg of Gabapentin orally two hours before surgery. Postoperative pain was assessed at multiple intervals up to 24 hours using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Side effects, such as nausea and respiratory issues, were also recorded. Data were analyzed with SPSS 23.0 using a paired-samples t-test to compare VAS pain scores, with p<0.05 set as the significance threshold. Results: The study found a mean age of 50.54 ± 8.06 years and a BMI of 31.13 ± 2.76 kg/m². Gabapentin provided effective pain relief in the first 4 hours (VAS: 0.30 ± 0.72 at 1 hour and 0.86 ± 1.15 at 4 hours), but pain increased significantly at 8 hours (2.38 ± 1.12) and peaked at 20 hours (5.12 ± 0.68). Heart rate rose from 82.61 ± 12.77 bpm at 1 hour to 92.60 ± 7.35 bpm at 20 hours, while systolic BP increased from 124.3 ± 11.71 mmHg to 134.05 ± 13.9 mmHg at 16 hours. Common side effects were headache (31, 42.5%) and nausea/vomiting (23, 31.5%), with no cases of respiratory depression. Conclusion: Gabapentin effectively reduced postoperative pain in the initial hours after abdominal hysterectomy, but pain increased over time, suggesting the need for additional analgesics. It was generally well tolerated, with headache and nausea as the most common side effects.