The aim of this prospective randomized, double-blind study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and opioid-sparing effects of preemptive single dose of dexketoprofen trometamol in comparison with that of paracetamol or placebo for elective lumbar disc surgery, over a 24-hour (h) investigation period. After institutional approval and informed consent had been obtained, 75 patients scheduled for single level lumbar disc surgery were randomly allocated into three equal groups. Patients received oral dexketoprofen 25 mg (Group D), 500 mg paracetamol (Group P) or placebo tablets (Group C) 30 minutes (min) before induction of standard anesthesia. Patient-controlled analgesia was supplied postoperatively using morphine. Hemodynamics, visual analogue scale (VAS), sedation score, morphine consumption, and side effects were recorded every 15 min in the first hour and at 2, 6 and 24 h after surgery. The mean pain scores were similar among groups (p>0.05). The cumulative (SD) 24-h morphine consumption was 28.1 mg, 40.6 mg, and 43.6 mg for Groups D, P and C, respectively. The amount of morphine use at 2, 6 and 24 h was significantly lower in Group D (p0.05). The study demonstrated that preemptive dexketoprofen trometamol 25 mg is associated with a decrease of up to 35% in morphine consumption compared with placebo over the first 24 h following lumbar disc surgery; however, paracetamol 500 mg did not show the expected opioid-sparing effect comparatively.

Background. Gabapentin, as a structural analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid, has been investigated to provide Funding sources pain relief in the early postoperative period following various surgical interventions. Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate whether preemptive oral administration of gabapentin 800 mg can reduce postoperative pain and modulate the inflammatory cytokine response in comparison to placebo in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia. Material and methods. Fifty-two patients were randomly divided into 2 groups before surgery, either to receive peroral gabapentin 800 mg or placebo drug, 1 h before surgery. All patients had general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation, in a standardized fashion, by the same anesthetist. Thirty min before completion of surgery, intramuscular diclofenac sodium 75 mg was administered. Following extubation, visual analogue pain scale (VAS) scores and additional analgesic requirements were recorded at 15 min at post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and at 4th and 24th h postoperatively. Plasma levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor R (TNF-R) were measured at predetermined time points (T-0 1 h before administration of gabapentin, T-1 at postoperative the 4th h mark, and T-2 at postoperative at the 24th h mark). Results. The VAS scores at postoperative 4th h were significantly higher in placebo and gabapentin groups compared with VAS scores at PACU and at 24th h. The groups did not differ in terms of additional analgesic requirements. In gabapentin group, IL-6 levels at T-1 and T-2 were significantly lower in comparison to values measured in placebo group at the same time points. This difference was not significant in TNF-R levels between the groups. Conclusions. Though preemptive oral gabapentin administration did not reduce postoperative pain and analgesic requirements in total knee arthroplasty surgery, it attenuated IL-6 production on the first postoperative day.