Perioperative gabapentin usage in pediatric patients: A scoping review Review


Authors: Chen, O.; Cadwell, J. B.; Matsoukas, K.; Hagen, J.; Afonso, A. M.
Review Title: Perioperative gabapentin usage in pediatric patients: A scoping review
Abstract: Background: There has been a recent focus among anesthesiologists on reducing the use of perioperative opioids in favor of multimodal analgesic regimens. Gabapentin has played an integral role in this evolution of practice. This comprehensive review assesses the current clinical evidence on the efficacy of perioperative gabapentin regarding postoperative pain and opioid requirements among the pediatric surgery population. Data Sources: Pubmed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science Review. Methods: This scoping review of the above databases includes all studies examining the use of gabapentin perioperatively in pediatric patients and its association with postoperative pain intensity and postoperative opioid consumption through July 2021. The inclusion criteria encompassed all studies evaluating gabapentin in the perioperative pediatric population through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and retrospective studies. Relevant metadata from each study were abstracted and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results. Results: Fifteen papers met the inclusion criteria for this review, including 11 RCTs and 4 retrospective studies. Sample sizes ranged from 20 to 144 patients. Administered doses varied widely, mainly between 5 and 20 mg/kg. The studies included primarily orthopedic (10) and neck surgery cases (3). Seven papers had gabapentin provided preoperatively only, two postoperative only, and six both pre- and postoperatively. Of the studies assessing postoperative pain, 6/11 studies saw a decrease in postoperative pain in at least one period for the gabapentin group. Of the studies considering opioid requirements, 6/10 reported a reduction, 1/10 an increase, and 3/10 no difference in opioid requirements for the gabapentin groups. Yet, most of these pain and opioid requirement findings were only significant at one to two time points in the study follow-up periods, and the actual decreases had minimal clinical significance. Conclusions: The current data on perioperative gabapentin in pediatric patients are insufficient to support the routine use of gabapentin in pediatric patients. Additional high-quality RCTs with more standardized protocols for gabapentin administration and outcome measures are necessary to provide more definitive conclusions. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords: child; retrospective studies; review; postoperative period; clinical practice; retrospective study; pediatric; narcotic analgesic agent; systematic review; opioids; analgesics, opioid; analgesics; postoperative pain; pain, postoperative; analgesic agent; gabapentin; anesthesia; perioperative care; pain intensity; humans; human; pediatric anesthesia; multimodal analgesia; perioperative pain
Journal Title: Paediatric Anaesthesia
Volume: 33
Issue: 8
ISSN: 1155-5645
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.  
Date Published: 2023-08-01
Start Page: 598
End Page: 608
Language: English
DOI: 10.1111/pan.14674
PUBMED: 37073498
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: The MSK Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748) is acknowledged in the PubMed record and PDF. Corresponding author is MSK author Anoushka M. Afonso -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Anoushka Maria Afonso
    47 Afonso
  2. Olivia Chen
    1 Chen
  3. John G. Hagen
    4 Hagen