ONDANSETRON 4MG FOR THE PREVENTION OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING AFTER MINORLAPAROSCOPIC GYNECOLOGICAL SURGERY

We studied the efficacy and safety of intravenous ondansetron 4 mg for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after minor gynae cological laparoscopic surgery in Oriental women. This double-blind ra ndomised study compared ondansetron with placebo, given before the ind uction of anaesthesia. The anaesthetic technique used thiopentone, fen tanyl, atracurium, nitrous oxide and isoflurane. Patients were studied for 24 h with nausea assessed using a verbal numeric scale from 0-10 and emetic episodes recorded as they occurred. Results were available for 102 patients in each group. In the first postoperative hour fewer patients in the ondansetron Group (12%) had emetic episodes compared w ith the placebo group (33%, P < 0.01). Nausea score over the first hou r (sum of three readings at 0, 30 and 60 min) was lower in the ondanse tron group (median 1.6) compared with the placebo group (3.1, P < 0.05 ). Over the 24 h period, fewer patients in the ondansetron group had e metic episodes (25%) or nausea (43%) compared with patients in the pla cebo group (56%, P < 0.01) and (58%, P < 0.05) respectively. No advers e events were seen. Ondansetron 4 mg was more effective than placebo i n preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting throughout the 24 h aft er minor laparoscopic surgery.