Background and Objective: Total hip arthroplasty [THA] is frequently performed in Egypt for patients with degenerative joint disease. This procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and is associated with severe postoperative pain. Pregabalin has been described as an effective adjuvant for spinal anaesthesia. However, its optimum dose has not been standardized. Herein, we compared two different pregabalin doses [150 and 300 mg] regarding spinal anaesthesia characteristics and postoperative analgesic outcomes.
Patients and Methods: One hundred people who were going to have THA were enrolled in this prospective study. They were split into two groups at random: Group A had 50 people who took 150 mg pregabalin capsules an hour before the surgery, and Group B had 50 people who took 300 mg pregabalin capsules at the same time.
Results: Preoperative patient criteria did not differ between the two groups. Moreover, sensory block criteria, including time to reach the T10 block, peak sensory block level, and time to reach it, were also comparable between the two groups. Nonetheless, the motor block duration increased in Group B. The majority of the recorded pain scores after the operation significantly decreased in Group B during the first postoperative day. Group B showed a significant elongation of the time to the first analgesic request and a significant decline in postoperative morphine consumption.
Conclusion: When THA is done with spinal anaesthesia and 300 mg of pregabalin is taken by mouth, the pain relief is much better than when 150 mg is taken.