The Correlation between Intra-Arterial Partial Pressure of CO2(PaCO2) and Post-Operative Nausea, Vomiting (PONV) and Pain in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a common complication after surgery that no single theory has been expressed as to the cause of this complication so far. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between PaCO2and nausea, vomiting and pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

In this cross-sectional study, 88 patients in Alzahra hospital, underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were selected and the level of pre and postoperative PaCO2, as well as duration of postoperative nausea, incidence of vomiting, and severity of postoperative pain was assessed. The correlation between PaCO2, HCO3 and PH with these postoperative complications were evaluated. The patients’ data were analyzed by using Chi-square, t-test, Pearson correlation, Paired t-test and Repeated Measure ANOVA tests. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The correlation between duration of nausea and PaCO2levels before and after surgery was 0.05 and 0.04, respectively, which was not statistically significant (p value = 0.63 and p value = 0.72, respectively). In addition, the correlation between PaCO2level and severity of postoperative pain was 0.2 (p value = 0.07), which was not statistically significant.

The findings of the present study showed that PaCO2level has not statistically significant effect on duration of postoperative nausea, incidence of vomiting, and severity of postoperative pain.