Korean J Pain.  2015 Jan;28(1):39-44. 10.3344/kjp.2015.28.1.39.

Comparison of Ramosetron Plus Dexamethasone with Ramosetron Alone on Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting, Shivering and Pain after Thyroid Surgery

• Lee MJ
• Lee KC
• Kim HY
• Lee WS
• Seo WJ
• Lee C

• KMID: 2278251
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2015.28.1.39

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), postanesthetic shivering and pain are common postoperative patient complaints that can result in adverse physical and psychological outcomes. Some antiemetics are reported to be effective in the management of postoperative pain and shivering, as well as PONV. We evaluated the efficacy of dexamethasone added to ramosetron on PONV, shivering and pain after thyroid surgery.
METHODS
One hundred and eight patients scheduled for thyroid surgery were randomly allocated to three different groups: the control group (group C, n = 36), the ramosetron group (group R, n = 36), or the ramosetron plus dexamethasone group (group RD, n = 36). The patients were treated intravenously with 1 and 2 ml of 0.9% NaCl (group C); or 2 ml of 0.15 mg/ml ramosetron plus 1 ml of 0.9% NaCl (group R); or 2 ml of 0.15 mg/ml ramosetron plus 1 ml of 5 mg/ml dexamethasone (group RD) immediately after anesthesia.
RESULTS
Incidence of nausea and the need for rescue antiemetics, verbal rating scale (VRS) 1 hour pain value, ketorolac consumption, and incidence of shivering were significantly lower in group R and group RD, than in group C (P < 0.05). Moreover, these parameters were significantly lower in group RD than in group R (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Combination of ramosetron and dexamethasone significantly reduced not only the incidence of nausea and need for rescue antiemetics, but also the VRS 1 hour pain value, ketorolac consumption, and the incidence of shivering compared to ramosetron alone in patients undergoing thyroid surgery.

Keyword

Dexamethasone; Postoperative nausea and vomiting; Postoperative pain; Ramosetron; Shivering; Thyroid surgery

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia
Antiemetics
Dexamethasone*
Humans
Incidence
Ketorolac
Nausea
Pain, Postoperative
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting*
Shivering*
Thyroid Gland*
Vomiting*
Antiemetics
Dexamethasone
Ketorolac

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