The present study assessed the efficacy of preemptive use of Pregabalin (PG) as part of a multimodal analgesia scheme to reduce postoperative opioid administration and pain levels in patients submitted to laparoscopic colectomy.

It included fifty adult patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic colectomy and randomized them to the experimental group (n=23; preoperatively, two doses of 150 mg PG per os) and the control group (n=27 cases, placebo administered under the same scheme). The two groups contained identical analgesia and anesthesia regimens otherwise. The study assessed postoperative morphine consumption, postoperative pain, and complication rates.

It found a significant reduction in morphine consumption at 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h postoperatively in patients in the PG group. The two groups displayed comparable postoperative pain (rest and movement assessment) and side effects.

This study describes that the preoperative addition of PG causes a significant reduction in postoperative opioid consumption in patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy. However, it did not identify an association with postoperative pain scores.

Int J Colorectal Dis. 2020; 35:323–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-019-03471-3