POSTOPERATIVE NAUSEA AND VOMITING - A COMPARISON BETWEEN INTRAVENOUS AND INHALATION ANESTHESIA IN BREAST SURGERY

Nausea and vomiting during the first 24 postoperative hours after brea st surgery were studied. Ninety patients scheduled for elective breast surgery were randomly assigned to one of three anaesthetic methods: t otal intravenous anaesthesia with propofol, or propofol or thiopental for induction followed by isoflurane anaesthesia. All three groups rec eived fentanyl for peroperative analgesia. A total of 46 (51%) patient s experienced emetic sequelae: 19 (21%) complained about nausea and an other 27 (30%) vomited once or more during the postoperative course. M ore than 50% of the patients with nausea and 70% with vomiting first s uffered from these symptoms in the surgical wards after leaving the po stoperative unit. Nausea and vomiting were seen in 18 (60%), 13 (43%) and 15 (50%) for the groups propofol-propofol, propofol-isoflurane and thiopental-isoflurane, respectively. In conclusion, every second pati ent experienced nausea or vomiting after breast surgery, the majority of these emetic symptoms occurring after leaving the postoperative uni t. Propofol for induction or as a main anaesthetic did not make any ma jor difference with regard to postoperative nausea or vomiting.