A Comparative Study Between Ondansetron and Gabapentin for Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Following Maxillofacial Surgery.

Abstract

Gabapentin is an antiepileptic drug with antiemetic properties. We evaluated prophylactic oral gabapentin as compared with ondansetron for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing maxillo facial surgery. A double-blind, randomized study in a teaching hospital. Seventy patients of ASA physical status I and II, scheduled to undergo maxillofacial surgery, were randomly assigned into two groups to receive 300mg gabapentin or 8mg ondansetron 1h before surgery. Standard anaesthesia technique was used in all patients. Students' t test for difference of means between two groups was used for continuous variables. Chi square or Fisher's exact test was used for comparing proportion between two groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare the time to event observed between ondansetron and gabapentin groups. Log-rank test was performed to detect statistical significance of time to events between two groups. There was no significant difference in incidence of PONV between two groups within 2h postoperatively. No incidence of PONV was observed in gabapentin group within 2-24h as compared to ondansetron group in which PONV was observed in five cases. Gabapentin effectively suppresses PONV in maxillo facial surgery.