A comparative study of different doses of dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting following anesthesia for cataract surgery

Postoperative nausea (PONV) and vomiting is the most common complication after surgery that might prolong discharge time and cause some morbidity. Dexamethasone can effectively reduce PONV. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different doses of dexamethasone on PONV. In a double blind clinical study we investigated the efficacy of three doses of dexamethasone (0.1mg/kg‚0.3mg/kg‚0.5mg /kg) in ASA class I or II patients randomly allocated into three groups for cataract surgery. The patients were tracked for the frequency of development of PONV in the recovery room and the ward and were compared accordingly. The patients were similar with respect to demographic parameters and duration of anesthesia. PONV occurred in 4%‚ 4% and 6% in patients in the 0.1mg/kg‚ 0.3mg/kg and 0.5mg/kg group, respectively (p= 0.577) We concluded that lower doses of dexamethasone could reduce PONV as much as higher doses. We suggest the lowest dose to reduce both the cost and side effects.