Postoperative Nausea & Vomiting in Malawi

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common complications of anaesthesia and surgery. Known risk factors include motion sickness, migraine, gender and types of surgery. Other possible risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting are ethnicity and genetics surgery. Objective: The main objective of the study was to describe factors associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting among adult Malawians. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. 138 adult patients were recruited into the study. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire. Patients were followed up to 18 hours postoperatively and any episodes of postoperative nausea and vomiting were noted. Results: A total of 138 patients were enrolled in the study. 78 were female (56.5%) and 60 were males (43.5%). The ages ranged from 18 to 87 years. The mean age was 36.9 years. The overall incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was 29.6%. It was higher among women than men. Patients with motion sickness had the highest incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (78.6%) followed by those with migraine (73.3%). Patients whose intraoperative systolic blood pressure fell <80 mmHg had an incidence of 71.4% and those who received postoperative opioids had an incidence of 37.7%. Conclusions: Patients with a history of migraine, motion sickness, whose intraoperative blood pressures fall below a systolic of 80 mmHg and who receive postoperative opioids are at an increased risk for postoperative nausea and vomiting.