Postoperative nausea and vomiting in the recovery room. A report from Guyana

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients in the recovery room can delay transfer of such patients to the wards, preventing a smooth inflow of patients into the recovery area. The high incidence of these complications in developed countries has led to the introduction of management strategies that may be too expensive for developing countries. An investigation of the incidence and factors associated with PONV in the recovery room of the Public Hospital, Georgetown, Guyana, was undertaken with a view to developing an approach to its management based on local data. Seven hundred and sixty patients were studied. The majority (97%) had general anaesthesia. Simple anaesthetic techniques involving agents of relatively low cost were used. Anti-emetics were infrequently administered. Only twenty-two patients (2.9%) experienced PONV in the recovery room, all after general anaesthesia. Twenty-one of these (95%) had risk factors for PONV in their history. PONV in the recovery room was associated with female gender, gynaecological surgery, extra-abdominal surgery and lack of anti-emetic medication (p < 0.05), as well as prolonged duration of recovery room stay (p < 0.01). A management strategy for PONV in the recovery room involving continued use of present anaesthetic agents, increased use of inexpensive anti-emetic drugs currently available in Guyana, and targeting of patients found to be more at risk is suggested. Increased regional techniques may also be appropriate.