Postoperative nausea and vomiting. Controversies, evidence and new drugs
Figueredo, E.
Revista Espanola de Anestesiologia y Reanimacion 47(2): 81-89
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-9356 PMID: 10769555 Document Number: 517587
In spite of the availability of drugs to control postoperative nausea and vomiting, emesis remains an unresolved problem for the anesthesiologist. The etiology of postoperative nausea and vomiting is multifactorial: some causes are well-defined whereas others continue to be the object of debate. Statistical methods applying logistical regression have proven valuable for assessing the risk of emesis in individual patients. Taking a preanesthetic case history to investigate the presence of factors that might lead to emesis allows the anesthesiologist to establish with a certain degree of credibility that a patient, a priori, is likely to experience nausea or vomiting. Various strategies for preventing or treating emesis can then be established in function of risk. Meta-analysis has been applied to the large body of literature that evaluates and/or compares a variety of drugs and anesthetic techniques, thus facilitating evidence-based decision-making. The therapeutic options available for postoperative nausea and vomiting are moderately effective and are distinguishable by their side effects and prices. Clinical trials with a new group of drugs (neurokinin receptor antagonists) are currently underway. With their wider spectrum of action and absence of side effects, these drugs may represent a qualitative advance in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.