The breast journal
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Reduction of postoperative nausea and vomiting and analgesic requirement with dexamethasone in women undergoing general anesthesia for mastectomy.
Dexamethasone has antiemetic and analgesic effects in various types of surgery. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of dexamethasone for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and analgesic requirement in women undergoing general anesthesia for mastectomy. Patient were allocated randomly to one of three groups (n=30 of each) to receive intravenously either placebo or dexamethasone at two different doses (4 mg, 8 mg) at the end of surgery. ⋯ No difference in analgesic requirement was found between the dexamethasone 4 mg and placebo groups (p=0.18). No clinically serious adverse events attributed to the study drug were observed in any of the groups. We conclude that dexamethasone 8 mg effectively decreases PONV and analgesic requirement in women undergoing general anesthesia for mastectomy.