Abstract

BackgroundPost-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is an unpleasant and one of the most distressing symptoms for any patient undergoing surgery. The anaesthetist is usually blamed, despite evidence that PONV results from a variety of factors including patient characteristics, anaesthetic techniques, and the type of surgery and post-operative care. This study had been conducted to find out the current prevalence and to assess various risk factors for PONV in the Indian population. MethodsAll patients above 18 years undergoing non-cardiac surgery under anaesthesia were selected from the daily operation theatre list by a systematic random sampling method. Koivuranta score was used to predict PONV in first 24 h post-operatively. ResultsPrevalence of PONV in the study population was found to be 25.6%. There was association detected between female gender, non-smokers and occurrence of PONV (CI 95%, p ≤ 0.001, 0.005, respectively). PONV was seen to be more common in patients with history of PONV in prior surgeries, in patients who underwent surgery under general anaesthesia and in patients where opioids were used in the post-operative period (95% CI, p ≤ 0.001, 0.001 and 0.001 respectively). General, laparoscopic, abdominal, orthopaedic, obstetric, breast and urological surgeries showed a significant association with occurrence of PONV (95% CI, p ≤ 0.05). ConclusionInspite of use of antiemetics (single or dual) being given as part of the institutional protocol, the incidence of PONV was still high. There is a need to update our knowledge regarding newer antiemetics and their inclusion in PONV management guidelines. There is need for further research to study various other possible risk factors which may contribute to occurrence of PONV.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.