Management of nausea and vomiting: physiological, pharmacological, and therapeutic considerations

Most incidences of nausea and vomiting can be avoided by careful movement of the patient from a supine position to walking, sound hemostatic principles, and prudent postoperative medication prescribing habits. However, when therapeutic intervention becomes necessary, the clinician should ascertain the probable source of vomiting center activation before selecting a particular pharmacological agent. Although many agents are available, there is little evidence of superior efficacy for agents other than those listed in Table 3.