East African medical journal
-
A retrospective survey of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in the recovery room over a five year period was conducted, followed by a prospective study of 200 adult patients to estimate the incidence and predisposing factors to nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours after anaesthesia and surgery in Nigerians. In the retrospective study only records of 61 patients (0.79%) out of the 7714 post anaesthetic recovery room charts reviewed revealed documentation of vomiting. These were 20 males (32.8%) and 41 females (67.2%). ⋯ The frequency of vomiting varied from one to 15 times and women had significantly more emetic symptoms than men (p < 0.05). Preoperative administration of pethidine and morphine was associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting. It is suggested that Nigerian women should be considered for prophylactic anti-emetic therapy, especially when narcotic analgesic are to be employed in their anaesthetic management.
-
The objective of this work was to determine whether parturients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) are at higher risk of post-spinal hypotension at caesarean section. This was an observational study of 24 women with PIH undergoing caesarean section under spinal analgesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine, compared with 24 matched normotensive parturients receiving a spinal block for caesarean section. The mean intra-operative systolic arterial pressure (SAP) was similar with and without PIH (p = 0.38). ⋯ Foetal and maternal outcome was similar with and without PIH. The decrease in SAP is less on an absolute scale but more on a percentile basis with PIH at caesarean section under spinal analgesia than in normotensive patients. The difference, however, is not clinically sufficient to discourage spinal analgesia for caesarean section with a low dose (1.5 ml, 7.5 mg) of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine in parturients with PIH.