Granisetron reduces incidence of nausea and vomiting after breast surgery

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Abstract
Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remains a troublesome problem. This study was performed to evaluate the antiemetic efficacy of prophylactic granisetron, a selective 5‐hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptor antagonist, on the incidence of PONV in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for breast surgery. Methods: In a randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study, 50 female patients, 45–68 years, were given a single dose of either placebo (saline, n=25) or granisetron (40 ug kg‐1, n= 25) intravenously over 2–5 min immediately before the induction of anaesthesia. Postoperatively, during the first 24 hours after anaesthesia, the incidence of PONV and adverse events was recorded. Results: The treatment groups were similar for patient demographics, types of surgery, anaesthetic and postoperative management. Postoperatively, the incidence of PONV was 48% and 16% after administration of placebo and granisetron, respectively (P < 0.05). No differences in the incidence of other adverse events were observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Granisetron is an effective antiemetic for preventing PONV in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for breast surgery.