01
March
2018
|
07:00 AM
America/New_York

Pregabalin Before Spine Fusion Surgery Not So Helpful?

Orthopedics This Week featured a recent study by HSS anesthesiologist Michael K. Urban, MD, PhD, who investigated the effectiveness of pregabalin for reducing narcotic requirements and improving outcomes after posterior lumbar fusion.

Dr. Urban told OTW, "spinal fusions are painful and require opioids for postoperative analgesia. This then would be a surgery to test the efficacy of pregabalin. In a randomized controlled study, we were unable to demonstrate an advantage to adding pregabalin to the postop pain regimen in reducing pain or narcotic consumption. There was the suggestion that in opioid tolerant patients pregabalin might have a role in postop analgesia."

Read the full article at ryortho.com [subscription required].