The Effect of Mint Extract on the Incidence and Severity of Nausea and Vomiting after Cesarean Section under Spinal Anesthesia: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction: Nausea and vomiting are one of the most common complications of cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Recently, the use of drugs has decreased and non-pharmaceutical and traditional alternative medicine are often preferred. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mint extract on the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting after cesarean section under spinal anesthesia with placebo. Materials and Methods: This double-blind, randomized, clinical trial was performed 92 pregnant women who underwent cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. They were randomly divided into two groups of control and intervention. The intervention group received 25 drops of mint extract mixed in 30 cc of water and the control group only received 30 cc of water 1 h before the surgery. The incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting during the surgery, as well as two and four h after the surgery was assessed by a self-report questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using statistical tests in SPSS. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of maternal age, fasting and surgery duration, as well as other confounding factors (P>0.05). According to independent t-test, there was a significant relationship between the two groups in terms of the incidence and mean severity of nausea (26.1% and 52.2% for the intervention and control groups, respectively; P<0,001) and vomiting (28.9% and 52.2% in the intervention and control groups, respectively; P<0.001) during cesarean section. However, no statistically significant association was found between the two groups regarding the incidence and mean severity of nausea and vomiting 2 and 4 h after surgery (P<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that mint extract can be used to prevent nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.