A Comparative Study of Intravenous Ondansetron and Pericardium 6 Acupressure Point Stimulation for the Reduction of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

TL;DR

This study compared acupressure at the PC6 point and ondansetron for reducing post-surgery nausea and vomiting, finding acupressure more effective.

Contribution

Demonstrates that acupressure at PC6 is more effective than ondansetron for postoperative nausea management.

Findings

Acupressure reduced nausea severity and frequency more effectively than ondansetron.

No significant difference was found between the groups in vomiting events.

PC6 acupressure minimized symptom duration and intensity better than ondansetron.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of ondansetron and acupressure at pericardium 6 (PC6 or Neiguan) points in managing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

Methodology: This observational study was conducted in the Department of Orthopedics at Prime Hospital, Dubai, UAE, between 2019 and 2020. Data collection comprised two main components. The first involved recording demographic details, including patients’ age, gender, and education level. The second component assessed the severity of nausea and vomiting using a validated visual analog scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no nausea, 1-3 represent mild nausea, 4-7 indicat moderate nausea, and 8-10 reflect severe nausea. Symptom severity and frequency were documented at one, three, and seven hours postoperatively.

Results: The mean age of the acupressure group (Group A) was 38.92 ± 12.11 years, while that of the ondansetron group (Group B) was 35.91 ± 12.7 years. A statistically significant difference was observed between the groups regarding nausea severity and episode frequency; however, no significant difference was found in vomiting events. Acupressure demonstrated superior effectiveness in reducing both the severity and frequency of postoperative nausea, as well as in minimizing vomiting episodes, compared to ondansetron.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that acupressure at the PC6 point is more effective than ondansetron in managing PONV, particularly in reducing symptom duration and intensity.

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