26601
document
Dexamethasone effectively reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting in a general surgical adult patient population . BACKGROUND Postoperative nausea and vomiting ( PONV ) is still a common and major complication for surgical patients , which may delay post-anesthetic care unit discharge , prolong hospital stay and thus increase the cost of hospitalization . It is understood that PONV is a multi-factorial outcome and occurs more often with general anesthesia than with other anesthetic methods . Prophylactic administration of antihistamines , antidopaminergics , anticholinergics , phenothiazines , serotonin antagonist , steroids and even acupuncture has been shown to be effective . However , expenses and side effects of these agents have also been a concern for clinical doctors . The aim for this prospective study was to find an agent that is cost effective and side effect free ( or at least with a low incidence of side effects ) for the prevention of PONV . METHODS A total of 700 adult surgical patients who planned to have surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled in this double-blinded , randomized and placebo-controlled study . Group P received the placebo ( 0.9 % normal saline 2 ml ) and Group D received 10 mg dexamethasone intravenously right before the induction of anesthesia . RESULTS We found that during the postoperative period of 1-8 h , patients in Group D reported a lower incidence of PONV ( 24 % ) than those in Group P ( 39 % , p < 0.001 ) . Patients in Group D also requested less rescue anti-emetic ( 17 % ) than those in Group P ( 30 % , p < 0.05 ) . The same phenomenon was also noted in the 8-to-24-hour interval ( PONV 4 % vs. 12 % , p < 0.05 and rescue anti-emetic 3 % vs. 9 % , p < 0.05 in Group D vs. Group P , respectively . ) CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the prophylactic intravenous administration of 10 mg dexamethasone immediately before the induction of anesthesia is effective in preventing PONV in the general surgical adult patient population .
26602
Intervention_Pharmacological
Dexamethasone
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Intervention_Control
placebo
26604
Intervention_Control
normal saline
26605
Intervention_Pharmacological
dexamethasone
26606
Outcome_Physical
PONV