The effect of gabapentin treatment on preoperative anxiety and postoperative analgesia levels in breast cancer surgery

Background: Premedication is a routinely performed technique to prevent preoperative anxiety and intraoperative-postoperative pain. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of preemptive gabapentin treatment on anxiety and the need of postoperative tramadol in patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer.Methods: With approval of the local ethichs comittee and with written informed constent, 62 ASA I-II patients, aged 18-60, scheduled for breast cancer surgery were enrolled for our study. They randomised in two groups. In control group we didn?t performed any treatment, the latter group recieved 600 mg gabapentin per orally. We performed STAI-2 and preoperatiely STAI-1 in both groups. It was performed intravenous patient controlled analgesia (PCA) technique to provide postoperative analgesia. We monitorized the patients heart rate, sistolic and diastolic blood pressures and EKG intraoperatively. In order to obtain postoperative analgesia, 30 minutes before the anticipated end of surgery, a 1mg/kg tramadol was administered intravenously. We used intravenous metokloropamid HCL 10 mg as antiemetic agent. Postoperative VAS scores and the need of postoperative tramadol treatment in 5., 10., 15., 30., 45. and 60. minutes and 4., 8., 12., 24. hours were measured.Results: Ther were no differences in demografic features, operation time SAP, DAP, MAP values, anxiety scores between two groups. The HR scores that measured 10. and 60. minutes intraoperaytively, the need of use tramadol postoperatively and VAS scores were significantly reduced in gabapentin group compared with control group.Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that a single preoperative dose of 600 mg gabapentin reduces total amount of the need tramadol use and provides effective analgesia and lover pain scores with postoperative HKA, without any hemodynamic effects.Key Words: Gabapentin, anxıety, patient controlled analgesia, preemptive analgesia