Conditions: Postoperative Pain
Keywords: Gabapentin Pediatric Spinal Fusion Narcotic Use
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 63
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Blinded study using oral gabapentin in load pre-operative (15mg/kg) and maintenance 5mg/kg three times a day (TID) for 5 days or discharge, Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) morphine and placebo group with similar pills, also PCA morphine. The goal is to measure morphine usage and incidence of morphine side effects (pruritis, days foley, days to first stool, sedation, pain scores, PCA use).

Detailed description:
Healthy, American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) 1-2 Idiopathic Scoliosis patients for spinal fusion.

Blinded, drug only known by hospital pharmacist. Study group 1- Gabapentin 15mg/kg with premed, 5/kg TID for 5 days of discharge, standard PCA morphine with dose and basal Study Group 2- Capsules resembling neurontin, with standard PCA morphine

No remifentanil, clonidine, ketamine

N=60 First patient enrolled 6/06 Last patient enrolled 7/15/08

Arms:
arm 1: Gabapentin arm 2: Placebo Comparator -- pill matched in appearance to gabapentin

Interventions: intervention 1: Gabapentin intervention 2: Placebo intervention 3: Morphine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: oral gabapentin in load pre-op (15mg/kg) and maintenance 5mg/kg TID for 5 days or discharge intervention 2: None intervention 3: Administered as needed

Protocol document: