Oral clonidine versus gabapentin as premedicant for obtunding hemodynamic response to lngoscopy and tracheal intubation

Background: We compared the effects of oral clonidine and gabapentin as premedicant in obtunding hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation in normotensive patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods: A total of 100 patients of either sex enrolled in the study were randomly divided into two groups of 50 each. Group A patients received oral clonidine 200 aeg and Group B patients received oral gabapentin 900 mg, 90 min prior to induction of anesthesia. Results: Both groups were matched for age, sex weight and intubation time. Anxiety score and sedation scores before induction were signifi cantly better in Group A as compared with Group B. Heart rate rise was obtunded in Group A except at 1 min, as compared with Group B in which tachycardia persisted even at 3 and 5 min following intubation. Mean arterial pressure was maintained below baseline at all times in Group A as compared with Group B in which signifi cant rise (+ 7.55%, P < 0.001) was seen at 1 min after intubation. Conclusion: Oral clonidine provided good attenuation of hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and intubation as compared with oral gabapentin.