INFUSIONS OF SUBHYPNOTIC DOSES OF PROPOFOL FOR THE PREVENTION OF POSTOPERATIVE NAUSEA AND VOMITING

We studied the autiemetic effects of a low dose infusion of propofol f or 24 h after major gynaecological surgery in a double-blind, randomis ed, controlled trial. Fifty women of ASA physical status 1 or 2 underg oing major gynaecological surgery received on infusion of 1% propofol or intralipid at 0.1 ml.kg(-1).h(-1) for 24 h after surgery. Pain was managed using morphine delivered by a patient-controlled analgesia pum p. The degree of postoperative nausea and vomiting was assessed by the nurses using a four-point ordinal scale, by the patients using a visu al analogue scale and by the amount of rescue antiemetic given by the nurses. There were no differences between the two groups in any of the measures of postoperative nausea and vomiting during the first 48 h a fter surgery. Postoperative nausea and vomiting in the control group w as less on the second day compared with the first postoperative day, b ut not in the propofol group. There were no side effects from the prop ofol infusion.