Delayed vomiting after papavaretum in paediatric outpatient surgery

The contribution of papavaretum to the incidence of vomiting observed in the 24 hours after paediatric outpatient anaesthesia was assessed in 129 children undergoing circumcision. Postoperative analgesia in all patients was achieved using caudal extradural blockade. The incidence of vomiting in the 24 hours after discharge from hospital was 56 per cent in those receiving papavaretum, compared with 15 per cent in those who did not (p less than 0.0001). The significance of this finding and the use of opiates in paediatric outpatient anaesthesia are discussed.