The effect of intravenous dexamethasone on pain, nauseaand vomiting after laparoscopic ovarian surgery

In this study, the effect of intravenous dexamethasone on pain, nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic ovarian surgery was investigated.

This randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 2019 to March 2019 on patients undergoing laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy in Beheshti Hospital, Isfahan. In this study, 88 patients aged 18 to 45 years were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups receiving dexamethasone (D) and normal saline (S). Two minutes before induction of anesthesia, the first group received 8 mg (2 ml) of dexamethasone and the second group received normal saline (2 ml). The duration of surgery and stay in recovery, the frequency of pain and nausea and vomiting, the need for analgesic and anti-nausea drugs, and the cardiovascular response during the study were evaluated and recorded.

 No significant difference was seen in terms of demographic characteristics between the two groups (P>0.05). The frequency of pain during recovery (P=0.4) was not significantly different between the two groups, but at 2 hours (P=0.005), 12 hours (P<0.001) and 24 hours after the operation (P=0.005) (P=0) was significantly lower than S group. The frequency of nausea in group D during recovery (P=0.003), 2 hours later (P<0.001), and 12 hours (P=0.002) was significantly lower than group S, but 24 hours after the surgery, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.15). During recovery, there was no vomiting in both groups (P=1), the frequency of vomiting in 2 hours (P=0.003), 12 hours (P<0.002) and 24 hours after the operation (P=0.48) in group D was lower than S. At the time of the study, the dose of diclofenac and metoclopramide received in group D patients was lower than group S. There was no significant difference in cardiovascular response between the two groups during the study (P>0.05).

Dexamethasone with a dose of 8 mg before induction of anesthesia can be effective in reducing pain, nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic ovarian surgery and reducing the need for analgesics and anti-nausea drugs.