Clinical study on postoperative nausea and vomiting in pediatric patients with cleft lip and/or palate. Part 1: assessment of incidence and risk factors

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after cleft-related surgery.

Methods: Forty-six pediatric patients who underwent cleft-related surgery from March to August 2016 were evaluated. The following items were examined: the presence or absence of PONV, age at the time of surgery, body weight at the time of surgery, surgery time (ST), anesthesia time (AT), and method of anesthesia. The presence or absence of PONV was considered an objective variable, and all others were considered explanatory variables.

Results: In total, 10 and 36 patients did and did not develop PONV, respectively, for a 21.7% incidence of PONV. Among boys, 2 and 23 patients did and did not develop PONV, respectively, while among girls, 8 and 13 patients did and did not develop PONV, respectively. The incidence of PONV was significantly higher among girls (p=0.014). Significant differences in ST (p=0.011) and AT (p=0.015) were found between patients with and without PONV. In all patients, the method of anesthesia involved the use of sevoflurane, fentanyl, and remifentanil. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that sex (odds ratio, 9.670; 95% confidence interval, 1.489–62.815; p=0.018) and ST (odds ratio, 0.955; 95% confidence interval, 0.919–0.993; p=0.020) were risk factors for PONV.

Conclusions: The incidence of PONV was 21.7%. All identified risk factors were inevitable, suggesting that preventive treatments using medications might need to be introduced.