Abstract
IntroductionIn France, prescribing pregabalin requires a secure prescription valid for 6 months since the decree of 12 February 2021, based on recommendations of the French Centre for Evaluation and Information on Pharmacodependence and Addiction vigilance (CEIP-A). This led to discontinuation of this treatment as a postoperative analgesic in the French ACL Study (FAST) cohort. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this change on early postoperative pain. HypothesisPregabalin is an important analgesic for reducing early postoperative pain after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair. MethodsAt our healthcare facility, 584 patients from the FAST cohort who underwent primary isolated ACL reconstruction were included: 292 patients operated before June 1, 2021 who received pregabalin postoperatively and 292 patients operated after June 1, 2021 who did not receive pregabalin. The patients were matched based on age, sex, preoperative Lysholm and Tegner scores. Pain was evaluated on a visual analog scale (VAS) on D0 in the evening, D0 at night, D1, D2 and D3. ResultsThe patients who did not receive pregabalin had more severe pain at night on D0: 5.21 vs 5.68 (p=.048). There was no difference between groups in the postoperative pain at rest during the evening of D0 (p=.89), D1 (p=.33), D2 (p=.37) and D3 (p=.21). ConclusionIn the context of outpatient arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, pregabalin does not reduce early postoperative pain in a clinically significant manner. Level of evidenceIV; case-control study.
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