Motion sickness and postoperative vomiting in children.
BACKGROUND
Motion sickness is considered an important risk factor for postoperative nausea and vomiting in children. The aim of this study was to verify the impact of motion sickness on the incidence of vomiting after routine surgery in children, and to compare the incidence of vomiting, after combined regional/general anaesthesia, using either halothane or sevoflurane.


METHODS
We prospectively studied 420 children (369 males and 51 females) who received general anaesthesia and inguinal field block for common paediatric surgery. The children were randomly allocated into one of two groups (halothane or sevoflurane). In the 200 children in the first group (H), general anaesthesia was induced and maintained with halothane, whereas in the 220 children in the second group (S), anaesthesia was induced and maintained with sevoflurane.


RESULTS
There were 79 children with a prior history of motion sickness (MS+) and 341 without such a history (MS-). In the MS+ population, the incidence of vomiting was similar in both H and S groups, being around 33%. However, repeated episodes of vomiting in MS+ children were more frequent when halothane was used. In the MS- group, the incidence of vomiting was significantly greater in the H group (19%) than in the S group (8%).


CONCLUSIONS
In the postoperative period, we found that MS+ children vomit more than MS- children, regardless of the inhalation anaesthetic used. However, MS- children displayed a higher incidence of vomiting when halothane was used rather than sevoflurane.
Busoni
Paolo
P
Ospedale Pediatrico 'A. Meyer', Firenze, Firenze, Italy. p.busoni@ao-meyer.toscana.it
Sarti
Armando
A
Crescioli
Massimo
M
Agostino
Maria Rosaria
MR
Sestini
Giuseppina
G
Banti
Silvia
S
D000765:Anesthesia, Conduction; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006221:Halothane; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D009041:Motion Sickness; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D000077149:Sevoflurane
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D006221:Halothane