Factors associated to post-operative nausea and vomiting following oral and maxillofacial surgery: a prospective study

Subramanya Kumar AVS. Efficacy of palonosetron in the management of postoperative nausea vomiting in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Objective:

The objective is to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic single intravenous dose of palonosetron in the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) following oral and maxillofacial surgical interventions performed through an intraoral approach under general anesthesia (GA).

Materials and Methods:

A prospective study was conducted on 100 subjects who underwent intraoral surgical procedures for the management of maxillofacial trauma, pathology, dentofacial anomalies, and deformities under GA. All subjects received a prophylactic single intravenous dose of 0.075 mg palonosetron along with premedication. Predisposing factors for PONV such as patient age, gender, Apfel risk score, history of motion sickness, smoking, type of procedure, and administration of postoperative opioids were taken into consideration. All the patients were monitored for PONV for the 1^st 24 h postoperatively (PO). First, at an interval of 30 min for 1^st 4 h and then at every 2 h interval for next 8 h followed by monitoring every 6 h interval till 24 h. Time and frequency of rescue medication were noted.

Results:

Seventy-nine percentage subjects did not have PONV. 15% subjects had a single episode of vomiting PO which could be attributed to multiple intra oral surgical sites performed as well as longer duration of exposure to anesthetic agents in addition to providing opioid analgesics for the management of postoperative pain. Only 6% subjects needed rescue antiemetic drug. Palonosetron did not show any significant changes in cardiac status and serum profile.

Conclusion:

Palonosetron is effective in the management of PONV for maxillofacial surgical procedures performed through an intraoral approach under GA.

Role of general anesthetic agents in postoperative nausea and vomiting: A review of literature

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is considered to be the most unpleasant experience associated with surgery and is believed to be one of the most common reasons for poor patient satisfaction in the postoperative period. It also results in prolonged hospitalization and increased use of resources such as intravenous fluids and drug supplements along with prolonged medical attention, all of which have psychological and financial implications. In addition to this, PONV can result in aspiration, laryngospasm, dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, gastric bleeding, increased intracranial pressure, increased intraocular pressure, and wound dehiscence particularly when the surgical intervention is performed through an intraoral approach. It is a well-known fact that there are many etiological factors as well as predisposing factors for PONV. Hence, this review is intended to evaluate as an individual factor what the role was played by the anesthetic agents used for GA in the incidence of PONV.

Aspiration in lethal drug abuse-a consequence of opioid intoxication

AIMS

The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether the fatalities of opioid abuse are not only related to respiratory depression but also as a result of other side effects such as emesis, delayed gastric emptying, a reduction of the cough reflex, and impaired consciousness leading to the aspiration of gastric contents, a finding regularly observed in drug-related deaths.

DESIGN

A retrospective exploratory study analyzing heroin/morphine/methadone-related deaths submitted to court-ordered autopsy.

SETTING

Center for Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (2010-2015).

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred thirty-four autopsy cases were included in the study: morphine (n = 200), heroin (n = 11), and methadone (n = 23) intoxication.

FINDINGS

Analyses revealed that 41.88% of all deceased showed aspiration of gastric contents with equal gender distribution (p = 0.59). Aspiration was more frequent in younger deceased (χ² = 8.7936; p = 0.012) and in deceased with higher body mass index (BMI) (χ² = 6.2441; p = 0.044). Blood opioid concentration was lower in deceased with signs of aspiration than in non-aspirators (p = 0.013). Toxicological evaluation revealed a high degree of concomitant substance abuse (91%)-benzodiazepines (61.6%) and/or alcohol (21.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

There are lower opioid concentrations in deceased with signs of aspiration, a fact which strongly points to aspiration as alternative cause of death in opioid-related fatalities. Furthermore, this study highlights the common abuse of slow-release oral morphine in Vienna and discusses alternative medications in substitution programs (buprenorphine/naloxone or tamper-resistant slow-release oral morphine preparations), as they might reduce intravenous abuse and opioid-related deaths.

Management strategies for the treatment and prevention of postoperative/postdischarge nausea and vomiting: an updated review

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and postdischarge nausea and vomiting (PDNV) remain common and distressing complications following surgery. The routine use of opioid analgesics for perioperative pain management is a major contributing factor to both PONV and PDNV after surgery. PONV and PDNV can delay discharge from the hospital or surgicenter, delay the return to normal activities of daily living after discharge home, and increase medical costs. The high incidence of PONV and PDNV has persisted despite the introduction of many new antiemetic drugs (and more aggressive use of antiemetic prophylaxis) over the last two decades as a result of growth in minimally invasive ambulatory surgery and the increased emphasis on earlier mobilization and discharge after both minor and major surgical procedures (e.g. enhanced recovery protocols). Pharmacologic management of PONV should be tailored to the patient’s risk level using the validated PONV and PDNV risk-scoring systems to encourage cost-effective practices and minimize the potential for adverse side effects due to drug interactions in the perioperative period. A combination of prophylactic antiemetic drugs with different mechanisms of action should be administered to patients with moderate to high risk of developing PONV. In addition to utilizing prophylactic antiemetic drugs, the management of perioperative pain using opioid-sparing multimodal analgesic techniques is critically important for achieving an enhanced recovery after surgery. In conclusion, the utilization of strategies to reduce the baseline risk of PONV (e.g. adequate hydration and the use of nonpharmacologic antiemetic and opioid-sparing analgesic techniques) and implementing multimodal antiemetic and analgesic regimens will reduce the likelihood of patients developing PONV and PDNV after surgery.