title: A comparative analysis of isopropyl alcohol and ondansetron in the treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting from the hospital setting to the home.
abstract: We compared the efficacy of inhaled isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with ondansetron for the control of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) during a 24-hour period in 100 ASA class I-III women undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Nausea was measured postoperatively using a 0 to 10 verbal numeric rating scale (VNRS). The control group received ondansetron, 4 mg intravenously, and the experimental group inhaled IPA vapors. Breakthrough PONV was treated with 25-mg promethazine suppositories. Demographic and anesthesia characteristics were similar between groups. There was a significant difference between groups in mean +/- SD time to alleviation of PONV symptoms: for a 50% reduction in VNRS scores, 15.00 +/- 10.6 vs. 33.88 +/- 23.2 minutes was required in the experimental vs. the control group (P = .001). A total of 21 subjects (10 control; 11 experimental) reported PONV symptoms following discharge to home. The IPA treatment was successful in alleviating PONV symptoms in the home in 91% of the experimental group. We determined that using IPA after discharge from the postanesthesia care unit is a valuable method to control PONV in the hospital and at home. The results of this study suggest that IPA is much faster than ondansetron for 50% relief of nausea.
authors.affiliation: USN, Fleet Surgical Team 4, Little Creek, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.forename: Lana R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Rowell
authors.forename: Raymond R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
mesh_terms: D019840:2-Propanol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects; D009325:Nausea / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017294:Ondansetron / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012903:Smell; D014839:Vomiting / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D017294:Ondansetron; D019840:2-Propanol