Dexamethasone and the combination of dexamethasone plus metoclopramide were more effective in preventing PONV than metoclopramide and placebo.

The preemptive administration of a combination of low-dose ketamine plus diclofenac sodium improved postoperative analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, whereas ketamine at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg did not elicit a preemptive analgesic effect.

Tracheal stenosis, a well-known complication of endotracheal intubation and artificial ventilation, is most likely to occur in critically ill patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Although a rare complication, and despite technological improvements and better patient care in intensive care units, tracheal stenosis still constitutes a serious clinical problem which can also develop after a short period of mechanical ventilation. In this article, we present a very rare case report of a patient who developed a long-segment tracheal stenosis localized at the posterior wall after a relatively short period of endotracheal intubation with a high-volume, low-pressure cuffed endotracheal tube, and a review of the literature.

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Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most significant problems in laparoscopic surgery. The antiemetic effects of metoclopramide and droperidol used alone or in combination for prevention of PONV after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) were assessed in this prospective, double blind, placebo controlled randomized study.Patients and Methods: A series of 140 patients, ASA physical status I or II, were included in the study. Patients were randomized to one of the following groups: 1, placebo; 2, metoclopramide 10 mg after the induction of anesthesia and placebo at 12 h postoperatively; 3, droperidol 1.25 mg after the induction of anesthesia and droperidol 1.25 mg at 12 h postoperatively; and 4, droperidol 1.25 mg plus metoclopramide 10 mg after the induction of anesthesia and droperidol 1.25 mg at 12 h postoperatively. Patients were observed for 24 hours for PONV, pain, need for rescue analgesics, and adverse events.Results: Data were analyzed using the Student's t-test and chi-square test, with P Ͻ 0.05 considered statistically significant. The mean incidence of PONV was 54% with placebo, 42% with metoclopramide, 14% with two doses of droperidol alone, and 11% with a combination of metoclopramide plus droperidol. The patients receiving a combination of metoclopramide and droperidol had a significantly lower rate of PONV than those administered metoclopramide alone (P Ͻ 0.05) or placebo (P Ͻ 0.001). Those receiving two-dose droperidol alone also had a significantly lower incidence of PONV compared with metoclopramide (P Ͻ 0.05) and placebo (P Ͻ 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the metoclopramide and placebo groups. Sedation was significantly greater in patients administered droperidol 12 h postoperatively.Conclusion: The combination of metoclopramide and droperidol, and two-dose droperidol alone, were found to significantly decrease the incidence of PONV after LC, whereas metoclopramide alone proved inefficient.