Dexamethasone reduces nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

We have evaluated the antiemetic effect of i.v. dexamethasone compared with saline in the prevention of nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecy stectomy. We studied 90 patients requiring general anaesthesia for laparosc opic cholecystectomy, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled stu dy. The dexamethasone group (n=45) received dexamethasone 8 mg i.v. and the saline group received saline 2 ml i.v. at induction of anaesthesia. Anaest hesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. We found that 10% of patien ts in the dexamethasone group compared with 34% in the saline group reporte d vomiting (P<0.05). Of note, the total incidence of nausea and vomiting wa s 23% in the dexamethasone group and 63% in the saline group (P<0.001). We conclude that dexamethasone 8 mg significantly decreased the incidence of n ausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.