Post-operative nausea and vomiting in the cardiac surgery population: who is at risk?

Objectives: Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and distressing complication following cardiac surgery. Therefore, our primary objective was to explore the predictors of severe PONV in the cardiac surgery population.

Methods: A retrospective study was completed on cardiac surgery patients (N = 150). A modified preoperative PONV risk assessment tool was utilized to identify patients at high and low risk for PONV.

Results: 54% of the high-risk group versus 13% of the low-risk group experienced ≥2 nausea events in the early post-operative period (p < 0.0001). The high-risk group had a uniquely elevated and sustained number of PONV events post-operatively. History of PONV (p = 0.03) and female gender (p = 0.01) emerged as significant predictors of any nausea event.

Conclusions: A specific PONV risk assessment tool may be useful for predicting those at highest risk following cardiac surgery. Further research is required to identify strategies to reduce PONV.