Effectiveness and Adverse Events of Gabapentinoids as Analgesics for Patients with Burn Injuries: A Systematic Review...

(1) Background: Pain after a burn injury is difficult to endure, and emerging studies aim to ascertain the effects of gabapentin and pregabalin as non-opioid treatment options. (2) Methods: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in six databases. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 tool. We performed meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis and used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology for judging the certainty of evidence (CoE). (3) Results: Five RCTs were included. Compared with placebo, gabapentinoids significantly decreased the pain intensity within 24 h (mean difference (MD) = -1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.47--0.65) and from 72 h to 9 days (MD = -0.82, 95% CI: -1.16--0.48), but not after 3 weeks (MD = -0.44, 95% CI: -1.31-0.42). Opioid consumption (mg/day) was reduced within 24 h (MD = -13.34, 95% CI: -22.16--4.52) and from 72 h to 9 days (MD = -7.87, 95% CI: -14.82--0.91). Increased risks of drowsiness (risk ratio (RR) = 3.255, 95% CI: 1.135-9.335) and dizziness (RR = 3.034, 95% CI: 1.006-9.147) were observed, but sensitivity analysis using the Bayesian method showed no increased risk. All endpoints were judged as low to very low CoE. (4) Conclusions: Gabapentinoids offer modest analgesic benefits as a component of multimodal pain management for burn injuries of less than 3 weeks. The adverse effects should be carefully monitored. Large-scale RCTs are warranted for the reinforcement of CoE in clinical use.