Anesthesiologists' practice patterns for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the ambulatory Post Anesthesia Care Unit.

Background: When patients are asked what they find most anxiety provoking about having surgery, the top concerns almost always include postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Only until recently have there been any published recommendations, mostly derived from expert opinion, as to which regimens to use once a patient develops PONV. The goal of this study was to assess the responses to a written survey to address the following questions: 1) If no prophylaxis is administered to an ambulatory patient, what agent do anesthesiologists use for treatment of PONV in the ambulatory Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)?; 2) Do anesthesiologists use non-pharmacologic interventions for PONV treatment?; and 3) If a PONV prophylaxis agent is administered during the anesthetic, do anesthesiologists choose an antiemetic in a different class for treatment?

Methods: A questionnaire with five short hypothetical clinical vignettes was mailed to 300 randomly selected USA anesthesiologists.

Intravenous ondansetron for postsurgical opioid-induced nausea and vomiting. S3A-255 Study Group.

The use of opioids for postoperative analgesia may be limited by side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Because ondansetron, a selective serotonin type 3 (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT3]) antagonist, is effective for chemotherapy and general anesthesia-induced nausea and vomiting, we hypothesized that it may also be effective for opioid-induced nausea and vomiting. ASA physical status I-III patients undergoing regional anesthesia were eligible for the study.

Single dose intravenous ondansetron for the 24-hour treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a major concern for patients undergoing outpatient surgery under general anaesthesia, and may complicate and delay discharge from hospital. This paper evaluates the safety and efficacy of ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. One thousand patients in 30 centres in the United States who received general anaesthesia and developed postoperative nausea and vomiting were studied.

Treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting after outpatient surgery with the 5-HT3 antagonist ondansetron.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting following outpatient surgery can significantly delay discharge. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of ondansetron (a new 5-HT3 antagonist) in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients following outpatient surgery.

Methods: Five hundred outpatient surgical patients (53 male and 447 female), receiving general endotracheal anesthesia, were studied at ten centers.