Effect of Single Dose of Pregabalin on Post Tracheal Intubation Sore Throat after General Anesthesia

Sore throat is one of the major complications of tracheal intubation after general anesthesia. Pregabalin is an analgesic, the anti neuropathic pain and analgesic effects of which have been demonstrated in various studies. This study examined the effects of single dose pregabalin one hour before tracheal intubation, to prevent sore throat after extubation.

In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 60 patients who had undergone general and urologic surgeries at Imam Reza hospital in Tabriz, Iran, since March to July 2015 that required tracheal intubation, were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups (group A, 30 patients and group B, 30 patients). In the group A, an hour before anesthesia, one pregabalin tablet (300mg) was given to the patients. For the patients of the group B, the placebo was given. After awareness of patients, the severity of sore throat was measured and recorded by VAS scale after 2, 6 and 24 hours of the surgery.

Severity and incidence of sore throat after tracheal intubation were not significantly different between two groups. Meanwhile, no side effects of pregabalin were observed in the group A. Administration of pregabalin as a single dose of 300 mg one hour prior to anesthesia and intubation decreased the incidence and severity of sore throat in the case group than the control group, although the amount of this reduction was not statistically significant between the two groups.