Nausea and vomiting in palliative care

Nausea and vomiting in palliative care are commonly experienced symptoms, and the aetiology is often multifactorial. The most common causes are impaired gastric emptying, chemical causes (eg medication) and visceral causes (eg constipation). Close attention should be paid to the clinical features which may suggest the likely cause. Antiemetic therapy should be guided by the likely aetiology, although in practice, the clinical picture is often complex, and so regular reassessment is essential for adequate symptom control.