Nasreen Laiq, Adnan, Muhammad Naeem Khan, Shahid Khan.
Dexamethasone reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting in children undergoing tonsillectomy.
Ann Pak Inst Med Sci Jan ;1(3):158-61.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of a single dose of dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in children undergoing tonsillectomy. Material and Methods: A prospective randamized placebo controlled double blind study was conducted in the department of Anaesthesiology Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar from December 2003 to 2004. Total of 100 children were included in the study. Patients were assigned randomly to two groups of fifty patients each. Patients in one group received 0.5 mg kg-1 of dexamethasone while patients in other group received normal saline in a double blind fashion. Patients demographics like Age, Sex, ASA status for the two groups were noted. Duration of surgery, duration of anaesthesia, induction and maintenance time and hospital stay were recorded for both groups. PONV (postoperative nausea and vomiting) in recovery room (0-4 hrs) and postoperative ward (0-10 hrs) were recorded in both groups. Results: Total of 100 patients equally divided into two groups were included in the study. The mean age of patients was (7.2) yr in dexamethasone group and (7.5) yrs in saline group. Male & female ratio, duration of surgery and intraoperative analgesia given in two groups was similar. Patients were observed for early PONV (0-4 hrs) in the recovery room and for late PONV (4-10 hrs) in the postoperative ward. The incidence of early vomiting and late vomiting was significantly less in the Dexamethasone group as compared with the saline group 10 patients (20%) and 9 patients (18%) Vs 22 patients (44%) and 15 patients (30%) respectively. Total incidence of PONV 0-10 hrs was 19 patients (38%) in dexamethasone group and 37 patients (74%) in saline group. The time to first oral intake and the duration of I.V hydration were shorter in the dexamethasone group as compared to saline group (P<0.05) which is significant. Conclusion: Prophylactic use of single dose of dexamethasone significantly reduces PONV in children undergoing tonsillectomy under general anaesthesia.

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