Postoperative nausea and vomiting — when will it stop?

Postoperative nausea and vomiting--when will it stop?

E can walk on the moon, and among other scientific miracles, we can perform minimally invasive, keyhole cardiac surgery with "robots". But so far we have not solved the seemingly simple problem of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). It remains one of the final therapeutic challenges and has been a perpetual dilemma since the birth of our specialty. It is the legendary big, "little problem...

Postoperative nausea and vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a long-standing issue, not a new concept in anesthesiology. Despite many studies over the last several decades, PONV remains a significant problem due to its complex mechanism. This review presents a summary of the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of PONV, focusing on preventive treatment, particularly the use of new drugs. In addition, we discus...

Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting--can it be eliminated?

POSTOPERATIVE NAUSEA AND VOMiting (PONV) frequently complicates recovery from surgery. Before the 1960s, when older inhalational anesthetic agents such as ether and cyclopropane were widely used, the incidence of vomiting was as high as 60%. Better anesthetic techniques, along with a new generation of antiemetics and shorter-acting anesthetic drugs, have reduced the overall incidence of PONV to...

Controlling postoperative nausea and vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PNV) in the ambulatory surgical unit is a continuing and vexing problem. Delayed discharges and patient discomfort have major impact in an outpatient setting. An understanding of the causes and aetiologies of PNV including anaesthetic, surgical and patient factors is critically important in the management of these patients. Therapy begins with a good history, ...