title: The relationship between perioperative nausea and vomiting and serum serotonin concentrations in patients undergoing cesarean section under epidural anesthesia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serotonin-also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT-can induce nausea and vomiting (NV) by peripheral mechanisms via the activation of 5-HT3 receptors. In this study, we observed perioperative NV, including intraoperative NV, and changes in serum 5-HT concentrations. We evaluated the relationship between perioperative NV and serum 5-HT levels in patients undergoing cesarean section under epidural anesthesia, and carried out a pilot study to determine if further studies on a larger scale were justified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients who were scheduled for cesarean section under epidural anesthesia were included in the study. Patients were assigned to 2 groups according to the occurrence of NV after induction, i.e., an NV-positive or an NV-negative group. Serum 5-HT concentrations were measured before induction, at the time that NV occurred (in the case of the NV-positive group) or 5 min after the umbilical cord clamping (in the case of the NV-negative group) during surgery, and at 2 h postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NV occurred in 10 of the 28 patients. No significant differences in serum 5-HT concentrations were found within or between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that there is no correlation between serum 5-HT concentration and the occurrence of perioperative NV in patients undergoing cesarean section under epidural anesthesia, and the findings do not seem to support further investigations regarding a possible relationship between serum 5-HT concentration and perioperative NV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Gun
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Sik
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yu Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoungnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Un
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Kyu
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyoung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Cesarean section; Epidural anesthesia; Perioperative nausea and vomiting; Serum serotonin