Abstract:

Objective: To compare the efficacy of ondansetron with a combination of ondansetron and dexamethasone after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy in terms of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Apr 2014 to Mar 2015. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and twenty two patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected for study and divided into two groups of 111 each. Group A was given ondansetron while group B was given combination of ondansetron and dexamethasone at induction of general anesthesia. Patients of both groups were observed at 24 hours postoperatively for nausea and vomiting. Results: Sixty six patients in group A had nausea as compared to 50 patients in group B (p-value 0.03), 46 patients in group A had vomiting as compared to 19 patients in group B (p-value <0.001), showing statistically significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Postoperative nausea and vomiting is significantly lower in ondansetron and dexamethasone combination group as compared to ondansetron alone group after elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

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