title: Post-operative nausea and vomiting in the cardiac surgery population: who is at risk?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and distressing complication following cardiac surgery. Therefore, our primary objective was to explore the predictors of severe PONV in the cardiac surgery population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was completed on cardiac surgery patients (N = 150). A modified preoperative PONV risk assessment tool was utilized to identify patients at high and low risk for PONV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  54% of the high-risk group versus 13% of the low-risk group experienced ≥2 nausea events in the early post-operative period (p < 0.0001). The high-risk group had a uniquely elevated and sustained number of PONV events post-operatively. History of PONV (p = 0.03) and female gender (p = 0.01) emerged as significant predictors of any nausea event.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A specific PONV risk assessment tool may be useful for predicting those at highest risk following cardiac surgery. Further research is required to identify strategies to reduce PONV.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Cardiac Sciences Program, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Electronic address: joanne.sawatzky@umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Jo-Ann V
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sawatzky
authors.affiliation: St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Michaele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivet
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ariano
authors.affiliation: Asper Clinical Research Institute, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hiebert
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Sciences Program, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Departments of Surgery, Anaesthesia, & Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Rakesh C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Arora
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Cardiac surgery; Nausea; Post-operative; Risk groups; Vomiting