Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Day Care Patients: A Comparative Randomized Controlled Trial of Total Intravenous Anesthesia with Propofol, Air, and Oxygen vs Inhalation Anesthesia with Isoflurane and Nitrous Oxide

ABSTRACT Introduction We compared the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) using propofol–air to inhalational anesthesia with isoflurane–nitrous oxide in day care patients at a tertiary care academic institution. Materials and methods We randomized 60 patients and assigned to either group I (inhalational anesthesia with isoflurane– nitrous oxide) or group II (TIVA with propofol–air). Incidence of PONV, use of anti-emetics, and duration of stay in the recovery were recorded for 72 hours by blinded observers. Results Total intravenous anesthesia reduced the PONV up to 72 hours by 27% among our patients (from 37 to 10%, p < 0.001). This effect was seen more in the early postoperative period. Overall, 13.3% of patients in the group I received antiemetic compared to 40% in group II. In our study, patients without PONV were discharged from the recovery room 15 minutes earlier after TIVA than after isoflurane and N2O anesthesia. Conclusion Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol and air resulted in a reduction of PONV compared with iso-flurane–nitrous oxide anesthesia. Overall, patients in group I required less rescue antiemetic, compared to group II. Total intravenous anesthesia resulted in shorter stay in the postoperative anesthetic care unit compared to isoflurane–N2O group. How to cite this article Sandhya A, Mamatha R, Banerjee A, Sahajananda H. Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Day Care Patients: A Comparative Randomized Controlled Trial of Total Intravenous Anesthesia with Propofol, Air, and OxygenvsInhalation Anesthesia with Isoflurane and Nitrous Oxide. J Med Sci 2015;1(4):63-68.