• S Purhonen, M Niskanen, M Wüstefeld, P Mustonen, and M Hynynen.
• Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, and Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, PO Box 1777, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland. sinikka.purhonen@kuh.fi
• Br J Anaesth. 2003 Aug 1; 91 (2): 284-7.

BackgroundAdministration of supplemental oxygen 80% has been shown to halve the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). We tested the efficacy of supplemental oxygen 50% in decreasing the incidence of PONV after breast surgery.MethodsOne hundred patients receiving standardized sevoflurane anaesthesia were randomly assigned to two groups: oxygen 30% administration (Group 30); and oxygen 50% administration (Group 50). Oxygen was administered during surgery and for 2 h from the end of surgery.ResultsThe incidence of PONV over 24 h after surgery showed no difference between the groups: 82% in Group 30 and 89% in Group 50. However, during the postoperative oxygen administration, eight patients vomited in Group 30, compared with none in Group 50 (P<0.05). After oxygen therapy ceased, there was no difference in the incidence of vomiting between the groups. Nausea and need for rescue antiemetics did not differ between the groups.ConclusionThe incidence of vomiting decreased during the short postoperative administration of supplemental oxygen 50%. However, perioperative oxygen 50% administration did not prevent PONV over the 24-h follow-up period in patients undergoing breast surgery performed under general anaesthesia.

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