Abstract:
Objective: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)
is one of the most distressing morbidities associated
with surgery. Even though the incidence can be as high
as 30% elsewhere no work has been done to assess the
incidence in any health facility in Ghana. This study
was carried out to find out the incidence, risk factors
and the management of PONV in a tertiary healthcare
facility.
Design: This was a prospective study.
Setting: The study was carried out in Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital (KBTH).
Subjects and Methods: All patients above the age of
18 years who had surgery including general surgery
were included in the study. Information obtained using
a questionnaire included demographic data, the type of
anaesthesia, the incidence of PONV and its management.
Results: Three hundred and six (306) completed forms
out of 322 questionnaires were analyzed. One hundred
and six patients (34%) had episodes of PONV of whom
82 (77.4%) had intra-operative opioids. Of the other
factors only age was found to be a risk factor with patients
in the 20-49 age group constituting 71.8% (p=
0.007). Eleven out of 93 patients who reported the episode
to a health worker received medication for their
PONV. Drugs used included promethazine and antimalaria.
Conclusions: Thirty-four percent of patients in the
study had PONV indicating that the problem is not
uncommon among post-surgical patients in KBTH.
Awareness of the problem should be highlighted and
adequate management should be given to all patients.
Patients at risk should be identified and appropriate
management instituted.