A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF ORAL PREGABALIN, ORAL CLONIDINE, AND A CONTROL GROUP ON ATTENUATION OF STRESS RESPONSE TO NASOTRACHEAL INTUBATION

Objective: Endotracheal intubation, particularly nasotracheal intubation, induces a pronounced sympathetic response characterized by tachycardia, hypertension, and elevated plasma catecholamines. This stress response may be deleterious in patients with cardiovascular or neurological comorbidities. Pharmacological agents such as clonidine and pregabalin have been investigated for their potential to attenuate this hemodynamic surge. The study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of oral clonidine (300 μg) and oral pregabalin (150 mg) in attenuating the hemodynamic response to nasotracheal intubation. Methods: In this prospective randomized comparative interventional study, 120 American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II adult patients (18–60 years) scheduled for elective surgeries requiring nasotracheal intubation were divided into three groups using a computer-generated random sequence: Group A received oral clonidine, Group B received oral pregabalin, and Group C served as control. The study was single-blinded, with patients unaware of group allocation. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded at baseline, immediately before induction, immediately after intubation, and at 1, 3, 5, and 10 min post-intubation. Adverse events were also noted. Results: Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable across all groups. Both clonidine and pregabalin significantly attenuated the post-intubation rise in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure compared to the control group (p