Acupressure for intrathecal narcotic-induced nausea and vomiting after caesarean section. Rectally administered diclofenac (Voltaren) reduces vomiting compared with opioid (morphine) after strabismus surgery in children. Postoperative analgesia and antiemetic efficacy after subarachnoid neostigmine in orthopedic surgery. Neostigmine 50 microg kg(-1) with glycopyrrolate increases postoperative nausea in women after laparoscopic gynaecological surgery. Acupressure wristbands for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults undergoing cardiac surgery. Dose-response of flurbiprofen on postoperative pain and emesis after paediatric strabismus surgery. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in treatment of postoperative pain after cardiac surgery. Nonpharmacologic treatment of postoperative nausea. [Acupressure in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting].
In this randomized double-blind trial we investigated the effect of acupressure on the incidence of nausea and vomiting after caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia with added intrathecal morphine. Parturients wore either acupressure or placebo wristbands during surgery and postoperatively for at least 10 h. There was no significant difference overall between the two groups in the incidence of intra- or postoperative nausea or vomiting/retching. Demand for antiemetic medication was also similar in the two groups. However, in the sub-group of parturients who gave a previous history of postoperative nausea or vomiting, there was a statistically significant reduction in both postoperative nausea and vomiting/retching in the acupressure group. Further investigations are needed to see whether acupressure may be an effective non-pharmacological, non-invasive treatment for a common problem in this sub-group of patients. Nausea, vomiting and pain are common complications after strabismus surgery in children. Diclofenac, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug, is widely used to treat acute and chronic pain but there are few reports of its use given rectally in children undergoing strabismus surgery. This open randomised study was designed to investigate the analgesic and anti-emetic properties of rectally administered diclofenac compared with opioid (morphine) given i.v. in connection with strabismus surgery in children.
                After obtaining approval from the local ethics committee and written informed consent from the parents, 50 ASA class I-II children, 4-16 years of age, were randomised to receive either rectally administered diclofenac (Voltaren) 1 mg/kg or i.v. opioid (morphine) 0.05 mg/kg perioperatively. The children were consecutively operated upon from May 1999 to January 2001. Anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl and propofol and maintained with propofol. Nitrous oxide was omitted. The postoperative pain was assessed after arrival at the post anaesthesia care unit (PACU) by using the validated Wong and Baker scale (FACES) Pain Rating Scale. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) was assessed by measuring the frequency of vomiting and the degree of nausea.
                In the diclofenac group the incidence of PONV during the first 24 h was 12% (of which one child had severe vomiting). The incidence of PONV was much higher, 72% (P = 0.0000), in the morphine group, where 56% of the children also had severe vomiting. There were no difference in pain score between the two groups. Recovery time at the PACU was longer (P < 0.002) and the postoperative analgesic requirement higher in the morphine group (10 vs. 5 children). No children needed overnight admission to the hospital.
                Diclofenac given rectally is an effective analgesic for this kind of surgery and gives less postoperative nausea than i.v. morphine. No serious adverse events were observed. The efficacy of operatively administered spinal neostigmine to provide analgesia and that of different antiemetics to prevent neostigmine-related nausea and vomiting were evaluated in patients undergoing tibial or ankle reconstruction.
                One hundred patients were randomized to five groups (n = 20). The intravenous antiemetic test drug (except propofol) was given as premedication in the holding room, after intravenous midazolam, 0.05 mg/kg. The subarachnoid drugs administered were 20 mg bupivacaine (0.5%) in conjunction with 100 micrograms neostigmine, except for the saline group (S group), which received bupivacaine and saline. The S group, the neostigmine group (N group), and the propofol group (P group) received saline as the intravenous test drug. The droperidol group (D group) received intravenous droperidol 0.5 mg, and the metoclopramide group (M group) received intravenous metoclopramide 10 mg. The P group had a continuous intravenous propofol infusion (2-4 mg/kg/hr), started 10 minutes after the spinal injection. Nausea, emetic episodes, and the need for analgesic (disclofenac) or antiemetic medication were recorded for the first 24 hours following surgery and scored by a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS).
                Subarachnoid neostigmine 100 micrograms did not affect subarachnoid bupivacaine analgesia as measured by time to first rescue analgesic in most patients, but it decreased the overall 24-hour visual analog scale (VAS) scores and the need for postoperative analgesics in 24 hours (P < .001). The incidence of intraoperative nausea and vomiting was higher in the N, D, and M groups than in the S group (P < .001). Following surgery, the 3-hour VAS assessment for emesis was higher for the N, P, and M groups than for the S group (P < .05). The overall 24-hour assessment was similar among groups.
                Subarachnoid neostigmine reduced postoperative pain scores and analgesic requirements. Whether it prolonged the duration of action of diclofenac or enhanced the mechanisms involved in spinal analgesia cannot be determined from these data. Although propofol and droperidol appeared to be more effective during and after surgery, respectively, all neostigmine groups were associated with a high consumption of antiemetics. Neostigmine, used for reversal of neuromuscular block, has been implicated in the development of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The use of mivacurium, which does not require neostigmine reversal due to its metabolism by plasma cholinesterase, has made it possible to study the effect of neostigmine on PONV in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled manner.
                Ninety healthy women scheduled for laparoscopic gynaecological surgery were randomly allocated to two groups in a double-blind manner. One group was given neostigmine (50 microg kg(-1)) and glycopyrrolate (10 microg kg(-1)) (group NG), the other NaCl i.v. as placebo (group P) at the end of surgery when all the patients were spontaneously reversed to at least 75% of full muscle power. The risk of PONV was reduced by using low doses of opioids and ondansetron prophylaxis. All the patients were monitored and assessed for 24 h with regard to pain, nausea, vomiting and overall satisfaction.
                There was a statistically significant difference (P=0.03) in the occurrence of nausea during the first 6 h postoperatively between NG group (30%) and P group (11%), resulting in the more extensive use of antiemetic drugs in the NG group (28%) than in P group (7%) (P=0.01) in this period. There was no difference between the groups in the frequency of vomiting; seven nauseated patients had vomiting, four in group NG, three in group P. Total number of patients with PONV during the observation period of 24 h, usage of antiemetic rescue medication and overall patient satisfaction did not differ significantly between the groups.
                The results suggest that antagonism of neuromuscular block with a high dose of neostigmine increases postoperative nausea and the use of antiemetic drugs during the first 6 h after administration. To determine whether the application of acupressure bands would lead to a reduction in postoperative nausea and vomiting after cardiac surgery.
                Prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.
                University-affiliated tertiary care teaching hospital.
                Adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
                One hundred fifty-two patients were enrolled to receive either acupressure treatment (n = 75) or placebo (n = 77). All patients had acupressure bands placed on both wrists before induction of anesthesia; those in the treatment group had a bead placed in contact with the P6 point on the forearm.
                Patients were assessed for nausea, vomiting, and pain scores during the first 24 hours of the postoperative period. The incidences of nausea, vomiting, pain scores, and analgesic and antiemetic requirements were similar between the 2 groups. A subgroup analysis by gender implied that acupressure treatment may be effective only in female patients.
                Acupressure treatment did not lead to a reduction in nausea, vomiting, or antiemetic requirements in patients after cardiac surgery. Intravenous flurbiprofen, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), has been used recently for postoperative pain relief in adults. The drug is also likely to have antiemetic property. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of flurbiprofen on postoperative pain and emesis in children undergoing strabismus surgery, which is well known to produce postoperative nausea and vomiting.
                In a prospective, randomised, controlled clinical trial, 90 children aged 2-11 yr received saline (control), flurbiprofen 0.5 mg.kg-1, or flurbiprofen 1 mg.kg-1. Saline and flurbiprofen were administered i.v. immediately after induction of anaesthesia. Anaesthesia was induced and maintained with sevoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. Postoperative pain was assessed by a blinded observer using an objective pain scale (OPS). No opioids or antiemetics were administered throughout the study. The incidence and frequency of vomiting were compared among groups.
                Flurbiprofen 1 mg.kg-1 provided lower OPS (highest) scores during the eight hours after surgery and a reduced requirement for postoperative supplementary analgesic (diclofenac suppository) compared with the other two regimens. The two doses of flurbiprofen failed to decrease the incidence and frequency of vomiting.
                These data suggest that preoperative flurbiprofen 1 mg.kg-1 iv is a simple and effective approach to postoperative pain relief but not to the prevention of emesis following paediatric strabismus surgery. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used as analgesic in postoperative pain to reduce opioid side effects, such as drowsiness and nausea. However, NSAIDs have not been used extensively in cardiac surgical patients due to the fear of untoward effects on gastric, renal, and coagulation parameters. This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of three NSAIDs for pain control in CABG patients.
                One hundred and twenty patients scheduled for elective CABG surgery were enrolled in randomized, double blind, controlled study. Standardized fast track cardiac anesthesia was used. One dose of drug (75 mg diclofenac, 100 mg ketoprofen, 100 mg indomethacin, or placebo) was given pr one hour before tracheal extubation and a second dose 12 hr later. Pain was treated with morphine iv and acetaminophen po. Visual analogue pain scores were recorded at baseline, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hr after the first dose of drug.
                There were no differences among the groups in pain scores. Only patients who received diclofenac required less morphine than patients in the control group (P < 0.05). When the total amounts of pain medications were computed to morphine equivalents, only patients in the diclofenac group received less pain medications than the placebo group (P < 0.05). Proportion of patients with postoperative increase of creatinine level (20% and over) did not differ between placebo and drug groups.
                Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be used for analgesia management post CABG surgery in selected patients. Diclofenac appears to have the best analgesic effects by reducing the morphine and other analgesic requirement postoperatively. Nausea is the most common postoperative complication of anesthesia. Appropriately applied acupressure offers a safe and cost-effective nursing approach to the prevention of this problem. This study tested the effect of acupressure on the incidence of postoperative nausea in same-day surgery patients.
                Ninety outpatient surgery patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The treatment group (n = 30) received bilateral elastic bands designed to exert pressure on the appropriate location on the distal aspect of the wrist during the perioperative period. The placebo group (n = 30) had elastic bands incapable of acupressure placed on their wrists. The control group (n = 30) received routine nursing and medical interventions for nausea and vomiting. Antiemetics were prescribed by the anesthesiologist and administered to patients in all three groups if nausea persisted and/or emesis occurred. The incidences of nausea or vomiting were tabulated separately for operating room, PACU phase I, and PACU phase II, and compared using Fisher's Exact Test.
                The incidence of nausea and vomiting did not differ overall in the OR or PACU phase I. However, in PACU phase II the incidence was 10% in the treatment group, 20% in the placebo group, and 50% in the control group (overall, P = .0001). Treatment wrist bands reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting as compared with the control group (P = .0001), as did the placebo wrist bands (P = .0033). The numerical trend suggests that the incidence is reduced by half. The incidence of nausea can be significantly reduced by the use of placebo and suggests that further reduction can be obtained by using acupressure. Despite modern anaesthetic procedures, postoperative nausea and vomiting are still the side-effects most often mentioned: acupressure is reported to be an additional method of preventing these effects in minor gynaecological surgery. We investigated the effectiveness of acupressure in patients undergoing gynaecological operations of longer duration (6-8 h) in a verum acupressure group compared to a placebo group. Before beginning the study we investigated a control group to find out the frequency of emesis. In the worst case of nausea that we encountered, 80% in the 0-6 h postoperative period, the number of random samples for the acupressure and placebo groups was calculated (30 patients in each group). The error for alpha was established at 5% and the reduction of nausea was 50%. METHODS. The female patients were 18 to 65 years old (ASA group I and II). Acupressure was carried out by fastening small metal bullets at the point P 6 to each forearm by means of an elastic bandage. The bullets were left there for 24 h. The premedication anaesthesia, postoperative analgesia, and antiemetic treatment were standardized. During a 24-h period we investigated the incidence of nausea and vomiting. RESULTS. The anthropometric data, the duration of surgery and the amount of postoperative analgesia were comparable between the three groups. Verum acupressure obtained a statistically significant and relevant reduction in nausea up to the 6th postoperative hour in comparison with the placebo group (P = 0.03). Nausea was reduced from 53% in the placebo group to 23% in the acupressure group. CONCLUSION. As demonstrated in this group of longer gynaecological surgery patients as well as in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, we were able to demonstrate that acupressure is an effective method of preventing nausea and vomiting without any side-effects. It is a valuable addition to the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Further studies should be conducted to investigate this possibility further.
NSAIDs did not cause any increase in bleeding that required a return to theatre. There was significantly less nausea and vomiting when NSAIDs were used compared to alternative analgesics.