Recent advances in the understanding and management of postoperative nausea and vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common distressing complication of surgery and anaesthesia. The multifactorial aetiology of PONV gives rise to an incidence that varies widely among different patient groups. PONV is unpleasant for the patient, may be associated with medical complications and can increase hospital costs. One cannot usually modify the patient or surgical factors associated with an increase in PONV, but the choice of anaesthetic technique can alter the incidence of PONV. Current research is concentrated on a new class of drugs, the serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonists. This review summarizes the experience with these drugs and other recent advances in PONV.