Opioid-Associated Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Women Undergoing Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Network...

Background and Objectives: This systematic review and network meta-analysis evaluated the effects of postoperative opioid use on nausea and vomiting in women undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy. Materials and Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and RISS was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials that met the eligibility criteria. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. A frequentist network meta-analysis was performed to compare the risks of opioid-associated postoperative nausea and vomiting (O-PONV). Quantitative statistics were presented in forest plots, and the ranking of treatments was determined using the P-score. Results: Seventeen studies involving 1315 participants and 18 postoperative analgesic interventions were included. No significant differences were found among the opioid monotherapies-buprenorphine, butorphanol, fentanyl, oxycodone, sufentanil, and tapentadol. However, among the combination therapies, oxycodone/ketorolac therapy was associated with a significantly higher risk of O-PONV than other ketorolac-containing regimens, including dexmedetomidine, remifentanil, and fentanyl. Conclusions: No significant differences in O-PONV risk were observed among the six opioid monotherapy groups. An opioid-sparing regimen, such as dexmedetomidine/ketorolac, showed a lower risk of O-PONV than an oxycodone-based regimen, underscoring the importance of incorporating patient-centered considerations, such as patient preference and route of administration, into postoperative pain management.