Prevalence study for postoperative nausea vomiting: A training hospital example

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Surgical Outcomes
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complication.
• Existing risk models, like the Apfel score, estimate PONV risk based on patient and surgical factors.
• The Apfel score assigns risk percentages based on the presence of four factors: female gender, non-smoking status, history of PONV or motion sickness, and postoperative opioid use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the actual prevalence of PONV in a patient cohort.
• To evaluate the continued validity of established PONV scoring systems in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Patients were categorized into five groups based on their Apfel score (0-4).
• Nausea and vomiting incidence was meticulously recorded post-operation using the Abramowitz emesis score.
• Data collection occurred in the recovery room immediately following surgical procedures.

Main Results:

• Female patients exhibited a significantly higher risk of PONV (24.637 times) compared to males.
• Gynecological surgery (6.27 times) and lower abdominal surgery (4.56 times) were associated with increased PONV risk.
• Longer surgical duration correlated with a 1.01 times increased risk of PONV.
• Urological surgery showed a reduced risk (0.345 times) compared to other surgical types.

Conclusions:

• The observed PONV prevalence in this study was notably lower than previously documented rates.
• Current PONV scoring systems may require re-evaluation and updating.
• Long-term studies with larger patient populations are recommended to refine and validate these scoring systems.