Abstract
Nausea and vomiting are common complications of surgery, which are not only unpleasant for the patient, but also increase cost through prolonged hospital stays and additional interventions. Specific risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) have been identified in the literature. Utilizing the combination of Betty Neuman’s Systems Model (1995) and the physiology of nausea, the nurse is able to identify risk factors and promote primary prevention. One primary intervention for prevention of PONV is administration of a 5-HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist IV intraoperatively. Examination of current use of 5-HT3 blocking agents, particularly, granisetron hydrochloride (Kytril), to prevent PONV in laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients provides a means for evaluation of current practices.
Employing a retrospective, comparative design, a random matched sample was selected from a population of approximately 600 laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients who met inclusionary criteria. The medical records of 46 patients who received a 5-HT3 blocking agent IV intraoperatively and 51 patients who did not, were audited for variables believed to influence the risk and occurrence of PONV. This study revealed that those patients included in the group that received a 5-HT3 blocking agent IV intraoperatively had a lower incidence of PONV than those who did not. However, this difference was so small that the findings are not of statistical significance nor are they of clinical importance.
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