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Aromatherapy for the treatment of PONV in children: a pilot RCT

Mathew B Kiberd1, Suzanne K Clarke2, Jill Chorney2,3,4

  • 1Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, 1276 South Park Street, 231-C 10 West Victoria Building, Halifax, NS, B3H 2Y9, Canada. Mathew.kiberd@dal.ca.

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
|November 11, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Aromatherapy showed a small, non-significant effect on pediatric postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). A large-scale trial is not feasible, suggesting limited utility for this intervention in children.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Complementary Medicine

Background:

  • Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complication in pediatric patients following general anesthesia.
  • Aromatherapy has demonstrated efficacy in managing PONV in adult populations.
  • This study investigated the feasibility of a large-scale trial on aromatherapy for pediatric PONV.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting in children.
  • To determine the feasibility of conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) for pediatric PONV using aromatherapy.
  • To evaluate the impact of aromatherapy on nausea scores, antiemetic use, and emesis in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted on 41 pediatric patients (ages 4-16) undergoing ambulatory surgery.
  • Nausea was assessed using the Baxter Retching Faces (BARF) scale, with a clinically significant reduction defined as a two-point decrease.
  • Patients with nausea were randomized to receive either saline placebo or aromatherapy (QueaseEase™).

Main Results:

  • Aromatherapy demonstrated a small, non-significant effect size (Eta 0.175) compared to placebo for the primary outcome.
  • No significant differences were observed in antiemetic use (P=.75) or emesis (P=.87) between groups.
  • A statistically significant difference was found in continued intervention use (P=.048), with higher adherence in the aromatherapy group.

Conclusions:

  • Aromatherapy exhibited a minimal, non-significant effect on pediatric PONV.
  • A large-scale RCT is deemed not feasible and of doubtful utility at this institution.
  • Further research may be needed to explore alternative interventions or refine aromatherapy protocols for pediatric PONV.
Abstract

Keywords:
Ambulatory surgical proceduresAntiemeticsAromatherapyComplementary therapiesMeSH postoperative nausea and vomitingNauseaPediatrics

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