Postoperative nausea and vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting
Classification and external resources
MeSH	D020250

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is an unpleasant complication affecting about a third of the 10% of the population undergoing general anaesthesia each year.

Cause

Emetogenic drugs commonly used in anaesthesia include nitrous oxide, physostigmine and opioids. The intravenous anaesthetic propofol is currently the least emetogenic general anaesthetic.

Risk factors

Postoperative nausea and vomiting results from anaesthesic, surgical, and patients factors. Gynaecological, urological, strabismus correction and middle ear surgery all have a higher risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Patients that are female or who have a history of postoperative nausea and vomiting are at greater risk. Smokers have a decreased risk, but this would never be recommended by any physician. Older patients suffer less PONV.

Obesity, age less than 16 years, past history of motion sickness and high levels of pre-operative anxiety are also risk factors for PONV.

Management

Because no currently available antiemetic is especially effective by itself, and successful control is often elusive, experts recommend a multimodal approach. Anaesthetic strategies to prevent vomiting include using regional anaesthesia wherever possible and avoiding medications that cause vomiting. Medications to treat and prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting is limited by both cost and the adverse effects. People with risk factors probably warrant preventative medication, whereas a "wait and see" strategy is appropriate for those without risk factors.

Medications

A Cochrane review found droperidol, metoclopramide, ondansetron, tropisetron, dolasetron, dexamethasone, cyclizine, and granisetron effective for preventing PONV.^[1]

Granisetron and dexamethasone is not recommended due to the higher rate of side effects.^[2]

Alternative medicine

In conjunction with antiemetic medications, at least one study has found that application to the Pericardium Meridian 6 accupressure point produced a positive effect in relieving postoperative nausea and vomiting.^[3] Another study found no statistically significant difference.^[4]

Epidemiology

On average the incidence of nausea or vomiting after general anesthesia ranges between 25 and 30% [Cohen 1994]. Nausea and vomiting can be extremely distressing for patients and is therefore one of their major concerns [Macario 1999]. Vomiting has been associated with major complications such as pulmonary aspiration of gastric content and might endanger surgical outcomes after certain procedures, for example after maxillofacial surgery with wired jaws. Nausea and vomiting can delay discharge and about 1% of patients scheduled for day surgery require unanticipated overnight admission because of uncontrolled postoperative nausea and vomiting.

References

↑ Carlisle, JB; Stevenson, CA (19 July 2006). "Drugs for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting.". The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (3): CD004125. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004125.pub2. PMID 16856030.
↑ Tricco, AC; Soobiah, C; Blondal, E; Veroniki, AA; Khan, PA; Vafaei, A; Ivory, J; Strifler, L; Ashoor, H; MacDonald, H; Reynen, E; Robson, R; Ho, J; Ng, C; Antony, J; Mrklas, K; Hutton, B; Hemmelgarn, BR; Moher, D; Straus, SE (18 June 2015). "Comparative safety of serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonists in patients undergoing surgery: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.". BMC medicine 13: 142. doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0379-3. PMC 4472408. PMID 26084332.
↑ "Accupressure Treatment For The Prevention Of Postoperative Nausea And Vomiting" (PDF).
↑ "Effect of acupressure on postoperative nausea and vomiting in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.".

Anesthesia (outline)

Types	General Spinal Epidural Conduction anesthesia Local Topical Intercostal nerve block Sedation / Twilight anesthesia Dental (Inferior alveolar nerve) Neuroleptanalgesic anesthesia

Techniques	Airway management Anesthesia provision in the US Arterial catheter Bronchoscopy Capnography Dogliotti's principle Drug-induced amnesia Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring Nerve block Penthrox inhaler Tracheal intubation

Scientific Principles	Blood–gas partition coefficient Concentration effect Fink effect Minimum alveolar concentration Second gas effect

Measurements	ASA physical status classification system Baricity Bispectral index Direct Fick method Entropy monitoring Fick principle Goldman index Guedel's classification Mallampati score Neuromuscular monitoring Thyromental distance

Instruments	Anaesthetic machine Anesthesia cart Boyle's machine Gas cylinder Laryngeal mask airway Laryngeal tube Medical monitor Odom's indicator Relative analgesia machine Vaporiser Double-lumen endotracheal tube Endobronchial blocker

Drugs	Benzodiazepine Etomidate General anaesthetic Inhalational anaesthetic Infiltration analgesia Ketamine Local anesthetic Methohexital Methoxyflurane Midazolam Neuraxial blockade Opiate Propofol Thiopental Thiopentone

Complications	Emergence delirium Allergic reactions Anesthesia awareness Local anesthetic toxicity Malignant hyperthermia Perioperative mortality Postanesthetic shivering Postoperative nausea and vomiting Postoperative residual curarization

Fields of study	Cardiothoracic Geriatric Oral sedation dentistry

Professions	Anesthesiologist Anesthesiologist assistant Nurse anesthetist Operating Department Practitioners Certified Anesthesia Technician Certified Anesthesia Technologist Anaesthetic technician

History	A.C.E. mixture Helsinki Declaration for Patient Safety in Anaesthesiology History of general anesthesia History of neuraxial anesthesia History of tracheal intubation

Organizations	American Association of Nurse Anesthetists American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians American Society of Anesthesiologists Anaesthesia Trauma and Critical Care Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Australian Society of Anaesthetists International Anesthesia Research Society

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