Effective Dose of Ramosetron for Prophylaxis of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in High-Risk Patients

Anti-emetic Drugs for Prophylaxis of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting After Craniotomy: An Updated Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Background: There is uncertainty about the effect of antiemetic drugs (AED) for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after craniotomy. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness and safety of AED for PONV.

Methods and Findings: We searched online databases including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Wiley, Elsevier Science Direct, Ovid LWW, and Springer for publications from 1985 to June 2018. Adults undergoing craniotomy with the prophylactic use of at least one AED were included. The primary outcomes were the incidence of postoperative nausea (PON) and postoperative vomiting (POV) during the first and second day. A total of 1,433 participants from 17 clinical trials were enrolled in this Network Meta-Analysis (NMA). Compared to placebo, ramosetron was the most effective treatment for PON 24 h after surgery (OR = 0.063, 95% Crl: 0.006–0.45), with a 69.2% probability. On the other hand, for POV, droperidol was the best treatment during the first 2 h with a 71.1% probability (OR = 0.029, 95% Crl: 0.003–0.25); while fosaprepitant was the most effective treatment at 0–24 h (OR = 0.027, 95% Crl: 0.007–0.094; 66.9% probability) and 0–48 h (OR = 0.036, 95% Crl: 0.006–0.18; 56.6% probability). Besides, ramosetron showed a significantly higher incidence of complete response (OR = 29. 95% Crl: 1.4–6.5e + 02), as well as lower requirement for rescue AED (OR = 0.022, 95% Crl: 0.001–0.2). Granisetron was associated with the lowest incidence of headache and excessive sedation.

Conclusions: Compared with placebo, ramosetron appears to be the best prophylactic treatment for PON 24 h after craniotomy, with higher complete responses. Fosaprepitant appears to be the most effective prophylaxis option for POV on the first 0–24 and 0–48 h. Both may be better applied in combination with perioperative dexamethasone. These findings may guide clinicians to provide improved pharmacological prophylaxis for PONV after craniotomy with fewer adverse effects.

Dose-Ranging Study of Ramosetron for the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting after Laparoscopic Gynecological Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Study

Patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery and receiving postoperative analgesia with opioids have a high risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). We compared the antiemetic efficacy of three doses of ramosetron in this high-risk population. In this prospective, double-blind trial, 174 patients randomly received ramosetron 0.3 mg (R0.3 group; n = 58), 0.45 mg (R0.45 group; n = 58), or 0.6 mg (R0.6 group; n = 58) at the end of surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of PONV during the first postoperative 48 h. Nausea severity, pain scores, adverse events, and patient satisfaction (1-4; 4, excellent) were assessed. The incidence of PONV was not different between groups (35%, 38%, and 35% in R0.3, R0.45, and R0.6 groups; p = 0.905). Nausea severity, pain scores, and incidence of adverse events (dizziness, headache, or sedation) were similar between groups. Compared to the R0.3 group, the R0.45 and R0.6 groups had lower incidence of premature discontinuation of fentanyl-based patient-controlled analgesia primarily because of intractable PONV (9% and 5% vs. 24%; p = 0.038), and higher satisfaction scores (3.4 ± 0.8 and 3.3 ± 0.7 vs. 2.4 ± 0.9; p = 0.005). Compared to ramosetron 0.3 mg, ramosetron 0.45 and 0.6 mg did not reduce PONV, but reduced premature discontinuation of patient-controlled analgesia and increased patient satisfaction, without increasing adverse events.

Palonosetron and Ramosetron Compared for Effectiveness in Preventing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Previous randomized controlled trials have reported conflicting findings on the superiority of palonosetron over ramosetron for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Therefore, the present systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42016038120) and performed to compare the efficacy of perioperative administration of palonosetron to that of ramosetron for preventing PONV. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL to identify all randomized controlled trials that compared the effectiveness of perioperative administration of palonosetron to that of ramosetron. The primary endpoints were defined as the incidence of postoperative nausea (PON), postoperative vomiting (POV), and PONV. A total of 695 patients were included in the final analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed through administration times which were divided into two phases: the early phase of surgery and the end of surgery. Combined analysis did not show differences between palonosetron and ramosetron in the overall incidence of PON, POV or PONV. Palonosetron was more effective than ramosetron, when the administration time for the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist was during the early phase of the operation. Otherwise, ramosetron was more effective than palonosetron, when the administration time was at the end of surgery. However, the quality of evidence for each outcome was low or very low and number of included studies was small, limiting our confidence in findings.