A prospective randomized study of the effectiveness of aromatherapy for relief of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

INTRODUCTION Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a major concern for patients having surgery under general anesthesia as it causes subjective distress along with increased complications and delays in discharge from the hospital. Aromatherapy represents a complementary and alternative therapy for the management of PONV. PURPOSE The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of aromatherapy (QueaseEase, Soothing Scents, Inc, Enterprise, AL) versus an unscented inhalant in relieving PONV. METHODS One hundred twenty-one patients with postoperative nausea were randomized into a treatment group receiving an aromatic inhaler and a control group receiving a placebo inhaler to evaluate the effectiveness of aromatherapy. FINDINGS Initial and follow-up nausea assessment scores in both treatment and placebo groups decreased significantly (P < .01), and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P = .03). Perceived effectiveness of aromatherapy was significantly higher in the treatment group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Aromatherapy was favorably received by most patients and represents an effective treatment option for postoperative nausea.