Scientific Poster Session II - Original Research

Abstract

Acutely injured trauma patients are at an increased risk for potential misuse, dependence, and unintentional opioid overdose. Trauma guidelines recommend multimodal pain management with gabapentin to reduce opioid use. Although gabapentin and opioids have short and long-term adverse effects such as central nervous system depression, respiratory depression, and addiction potential, incorporation of gabapentin is an effective strategy for opioid stewardship.

Research Question or Hypothesis:

Study Design:

Retrospective chart review of patients > 18 years of age who received opioids on the trauma service for acute pain control. Patients were excluded if they received pregabalin or methadone or passed away during their hospital admission. Patients were divided into a pre-(gabapentin) or post-(non-gabapentin) arm.

Methods:

665 patients were screened, 197 were included in the non-gabapentin arm and 91 in the gabapentin arm. Opioid requirements expressed as oral morphine equivalents (OME). Pain control was assessed through mean average pain scores after treatment intervention on days 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, and day prior to discharge in both arms. Opioids and non-opioid analgesics used throughout the patient’s admission were collected.

Results:

Patients who received gabapentin for multimodal pain management had a greater but non-statistically significant reduction in opioid requirements from day 0 to the day prior to discharge compared to patients who did not receive gabapentin (23 vs. 15 OMEs). Patients who received gabapentin had a greater reduction in pain scores on discharge from baseline compared to patients who did not receive gabapentin (0.96 vs. 0.05) (P = 0.034).

Conclusion:

This study shows that incorporation of gabapentin in multimodal pain regimens can help improve pain control and assist in reducing opioid requirements to support opioid stewardship initiatives.

Presenting Author

Authors