NAUSEA AND VOMITING IN THE POSTOPERATIVE PATIENT-CONTROLLED ANALGESIAENVIRONMENT

Despite common clinical opinion that patient-controlled analgesia shou ld be renamed 'patient-controlled nausea', there is little evidence in support of the notion that postoperative nausea and vomiting are exac erbated by the method. Indeed, data indicate that opioid-sparing techn iques are not associated with less postoperative nausea and vomiting. Although some evidence suggests that certain opioids are less emetogen ic than others, this too does not stand scrutiny when compared across patients, although research is still required to find whether individu al patients are better treated with a particular opioid. Similarly, th e emerging practice of combining anti-emetics with patient-controlled analgesia needs wider study before it can be supported.