Comparison of efficacy of Ondansetron and Dexamethasone combination and Ondansetron alone in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Objective: To compare the efficacy of ondansetron alone and combination of ondansetron and dexamethasone in preventing post-operative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods: The randomised control trial was conducted from April 23 to August 22, 2009, at the Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, and comprised 100 American Society of Anaesthesiology I and II patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Half of the subjects comprised Group A and received ondansetron alone, while Group B received combination of ondansetron and dexamethasone. They were randomised by opaque envelope method. Group A received ondansetron 4mg while Group B received ondansetron 4mg with dexamethasone 8mg, 1 minute before induction. Post-operatively patients were observed for six hours for any episode of nausea or vomiting, or whether the patients required any rescue anti emetic. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis.Results: Patients receiving ondansetron alone showed 14(28%) with incidence of nausea or vomiting while the other group showed 6(12%). This difference was statistically significant (p 0.046).Conclusion: Combination of ondansetron and dexamethasone was more efficacious compared to ondansetron alone in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.