A prospective survey of postoperative nausea and vomiting: Its prevalence and risk factors

Abstract

Background: To improve the efforts that try to detect the common risk factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), this epidemiologic survey was designed to evaluate the present incidence of PONV for different types of common surgical procedures among patients of Tripoli Medical Center, Tripoli, Libya. Methods: Over a period of 6 months, the prospective interview-based survey included more than 170 elective surgical inpatients aged between 18 and >65 years and received general or regional anesthesia was done by the authors. Results: Among the 170 patients surveyed in this study, the incidence of PONV at the recovery room was 28.2% and 22.3%, respectively. Over the whole 24 h period, the incidence of PONV was gradually increased to 32.3% and 25.8%, respectively. The highest prevalence of PONV was observed in the gynecology patients. Female patients were suffered from both nausea and vomiting more than male patients. Besides, PONV in patients who received general anesthesia was much more common than those who received regional anesthesia in both observation periods (the recovery room and the ward). Conclusion: Our study shows various risk factors of PONV. These factors could help to increase the possibility of recognizing patients at risk for PONV.