Postoperative Nausea & Vomiting in Malawi ()
ABSTRACT
Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting are
common complications of anaesthesia and surgery. Known risk factors include
motion sickness, migraine, gender and types of surgery. Other possible risk
factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting are ethnicity and genetics
surgery. Objective: The main objective of the study was to describe factors
associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting among adult Malawians. Methods:
This was a prospective observational study. 138 adult patients were recruited
into the study. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire. Patients
were followed up to 18 hours postoperatively and any episodes of postoperative
nausea and vomiting were noted. Results: A total of 138 patients were enrolled
in the study. 78 were female (56.5%) and 60 were males (43.5%). The ages ranged
from 18 to 87 years. The mean age was 36.9 years. The overall incidence of
postoperative nausea and vomiting was 29.6%. It was higher among women than
men. Patients with motion sickness had the highest incidence of postoperative
nausea and vomiting (78.6%) followed by those with migraine (73.3%). Patients
whose intraoperative systolic blood pressure fell <80 mmHg had an incidence
of 71.4% and those who received postoperative opioids had an incidence of
37.7%. Conclusions: Patients with a history of migraine, motion sickness, whose
intraoperative blood pressures fall below a systolic of 80 mmHg and who receive
postoperative opioids are at an increased risk for postoperative nausea and
vomiting.
Share and Cite:
Mndolo, S. , Jung, K. and Pollach, G. (2014) Postoperative Nausea & Vomiting in Malawi.
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
5, 447-451. doi:
10.4236/ijcm.2014.58062.