TUESDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The use of intravenous dextrose following surgery may reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held from Oct. 17 to 21 in New Orleans.
Susan Dabu-Bondoc, M.D., of the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and colleagues analyzed data from 56 patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures. Patients were randomized to receive Ringer's lactate solution intravenously with or without 5 percent dextrose. Patients received the solution immediately after the surgery and into the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). All received the same general anesthesia and an antiemetic 30 minutes before the end of anesthesia.
The researchers found that patients receiving dextrose had lower postoperative nausea and vomiting scores after a half-hour in the PACU and at discharge, compared to control patients. The dextrose group also needed less rescue antiemetic doses. They also exhibited a trend toward a faster discharge time from the PACU.
"In light of the ease and low risk of administration of postoperative intravenous dextrose and its apparent benefit to patient care and satisfaction, this therapeutic modality should be considered," the authors conclude.
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