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Risk factors of postoperative vomiting in children receiving continuous intravenous morphine

C Lejus1, M Tissot, A Roquilly

  • 1C.H.U. Nantes, Service d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation Chirurgicale, Hôtel Dieu Hôpital Mère Enfant, F44093 Nantes, France. corinne.lejus@chu-nantes.fr

Minerva Anestesiologica
|July 14, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Female gender, urological surgery, and age are key risk factors for postoperative vomiting in children receiving continuous intravenous morphine. These findings help guide prophylaxis strategies for pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Surgical Outcomes

Background:

  • Postoperative vomiting (POV) risk factors are less understood in pediatric populations compared to adults.
  • This study investigates POV predictors in children receiving continuous intravenous (i.v.) morphine post-major surgery without prophylaxis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify independent risk factors for postoperative vomiting in children undergoing major surgery and receiving continuous i.v. morphine.
  • To inform targeted prophylaxis strategies for pediatric patients at high risk of POV.

Main Methods:

  • Observational retrospective study of 235 children (2-216 months).
  • Data collected on POV occurrence, patient demographics, surgery type, and morphine administration.
  • Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses used to determine independent predictors of POV.

Main Results:

  • Postoperative vomiting occurred in 22.6% of children.
  • Independent risk factors for POV included female gender (OR 3.324), urological surgery (OR 5.605), and increasing age (OR 1.012).
  • The predictive model demonstrated good discrimination (AUC 0.778).

Conclusions:

  • Female gender, regardless of age, is a significant risk factor for POV in children receiving continuous i.v. morphine.
  • Urological surgery and increasing age also independently predict POV.
  • These factors should guide individualized postoperative vomiting prophylaxis decisions in pediatric surgical patients.
Abstract

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