Can the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio be used to predict postoperative nausea and vomiting in children?

Abstract

Aim: The most important and most frequent complications after adenoidectomy (AE) or adenotonsillectomy (ATE) procedures in children are postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and pain (POP). However, the implication of preoperative inflammation in these complications is still not clear. This study aimed to investigate whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) measured prior to the surgery would offer value in predicting the symptoms. Material and Method: The study included 127 children (2-10 years) who underwent elective adenoidectomy and adenotonsillectomy under general anesthesia. The patients were divided into two groups as adenoidectomy (AE, n=73) and adenotonsillectomy (ATE, n=54). The NLR and PLR were calculated in all patients. And also, intraoperative hemodynamic values, PONV, and POP were evaluated. Results: The rate of vomiting at any time post-surgery was 23.6% (n = 30) in all children. No significant difference was found between the groups (19.2% vs. 29.6%). Median NLR and PLR were 1.31 and 97.96 in the AE group, and 1.08 and 103.70 in the ATE group, respectively. Again, there was no difference between the two groups. Also, no correlation existed between