Comparison of the Antiemetic Effects of Ondansetron, Metoclopramide and Dexamethasone in Children Undertaken Strabismus Surgery

Post operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are important complications of surgeries causing an unpleasant experience for many patients and may lead to a delays in the discharge from hospital. Different medical and non-medical interventions are applied to prevent this problem. In this study, we compared the antiemetic effects of ondansetron, metoclopramide and dexamethasone in children undertaken strabismus surgey. In this double-blind randomized clinical trial study, 111 children belonging to ASA class I and II between the age group of 2–15 years old and scheduled for elective surgery of strabismus were Ethical approval and written informed consent forms were obtained. The participants were then randomly divided into three groups; ondansetron, metoclopramide and dexamethasone. Dexamethasone was injected at the beginning of the operations, and the other two medicines were injected 30 minutes prior to the end of surgery. In the recovery wards, the frequency of nausea and vomiting and any therapeutic interventions for each patient were recorded at the following times; 1h, 1-6h, 6-12h, and 12-24h post-op. The obtained data was ultimately analyzed by Chi - squared and Kruskall statistical tests. There was no significant differences among the three groups in terms of age, weight and sex. Patients in ondansetron group had the lowest frequency of PONV (7.8%) and the need for therapeutic interventions (3.6%). These values for dexamethasone group were 12.6%, 13.5% and for the metoclopramide group were 13.5%, 10.8% respectively. Ondansetron is associated with a lower rate of PONV, more satisfaction, less expenditure, and less therapeutic interventions.