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Postoperative vomiting following strabismus surgery in paediatric outpatients: spontaneous versus controlled

C Walsh1, C E Smith, B Ryan

  • 1Department of Anaesthesia, Montreal Children's Hospital, Quebec.

Insights

Controlled ventilation did not significantly reduce postoperative vomiting in children undergoing strabismus repair. Both spontaneous breathing and IPPV showed similar vomiting rates, with longer surgeries linked to emesis in the spontaneous breathing group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Surgical Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Postoperative vomiting (POV) is a common complication in pediatric outpatients.
  • Optimizing anesthetic techniques to minimize POV is crucial for patient recovery and satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the incidence and severity of postoperative vomiting in pediatric patients undergoing strabismus repair.
  • To evaluate the impact of controlled ventilation (IPPV) versus spontaneous breathing (SV) on POV.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized study of 120 unpremedicated children (2-12 years) undergoing strabismus repair.
  • Patients received either spontaneous breathing (n=60) or IPPV (n=60) with halothane/N2O anesthesia.
  • Neuromuscular blockade reversal was administered for the IPPV group.

Main Results:

  • Vomiting incidence was 50% with SV and 40% with IPPV (p > 0.25).
  • Longer operative times correlated with vomiting in the SV group, but not in the IPPV group.
  • No significant correlation found between age, sex, surgery duration, or muscles repaired and vomiting or discharge time.

Conclusions:

  • Intraoperative positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) did not offer a significant advantage over spontaneous breathing (SV) in reducing postoperative vomiting.
  • Anesthetic management strategies should consider operative duration, particularly in spontaneously breathing pediatric patients.

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