[Effectiveness of clonidine in postoperative nausea and vomiting--epidural versus oral administration].

We investigated antiemetic effect of clonidine in postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. One hundred and fifty nine patients were female, and were ranged in age 20 to 60 years. The body mass index of the patients was less than 30, and duration of operation was within 120 minutes. All patients received general anesthesia combined with epidural analgesia. One hundred and fifty nine patients were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n = 53); epidural group (n = 53) which received clonidine 150 micrograms epidurally before incision, oral group (n = 53) which received clonidine 150 micrograms orally 60-90 min prior to arrival in the operating room. The overall incidence of PONV during the first 12 h postoperatively was smaller in epidural group (15.1%, P < 0.01) and in oral group (7.5%, P < 0.05) compared with control group (32.1%). The incidence of PONV during the first postoperative hour was significantly smaller in epidural group (3.8%, P < 0.01) and in oral group (3.8%, P < 0.01) compared with control group (18.9%). Postoperative analgesic requirement was not significantly different among the three groups. We conclude that oral or epidural clonidine decreased the incidence of early PONV after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes