[Efficacy of intravenous scopolamine for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting after cesarean section]

To observe the efficacy of intravenous scopolamine in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after cesarean section (CS).

A total of 260 pregnant women with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification class I-II who underwent elective CS under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 65): at the end of surgery, 0.3 mg/5 ml scopolamine (scopolamine group), 4 mg/5 ml ondansetron (ondansetron group), 0.3 mg scopolamine plus 4 mg ondansetron per 5 ml (combination group), or 0.9% normal saline 5 ml (control group) were intravenously infused, respectively. The episodes of PONV and adverse effects were observed within 24 hours after operation.

The incidences of PONV within 24 hours after surgery were 87.7%, 89.2%, and 92.3%, respectively, in scopolamine group, ondansetron group, and combination group, which were all significantly higher than that in control group (73.8%) (all P < 0.05). However, the incidences of PONV showed no significant difference among these three groups (P > 0.05). No significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects was observed among the four groups (P > 0.05).

Intravenous scopolamine (0.3 mg), with a comparable efficacy as ondansetron 4 mg, can effectively decrease the incidence of PONV after CS.