Nitrous Oxide Does Not Influence Operating Conditions or Postoperative Course in Colonic Surgery

Nitrous oxide anxiolysis for elective cesarean section

“…In our study, we did not find a difference in the incidence of emesis with the use of N 2 O. The anesthesia literature is conflicting as to whether N 2 O causes nausea and/or vomiting [3,18,19]. Krogh et al [3] found no difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing colonic surgery.…”

“…The anesthesia literature is conflicting as to whether N 2 O causes nausea and/or vomiting [3,18,19]. Krogh et al [3] found no difference in the incidence of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing colonic surgery. In addition, Jensen et al [19] found no difference of the influence of N 2 O on postoperative emesis and recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.…”

“…Likewise, healthcare professionals sometimes overlook the emotional component of the surgical procedure. For more than a century, nitrous oxide (N 2 O) has been used as an adjuvant to general anesthesia for cesarean section [2][3][4][5]. Fifty percent N 2 O in O 2 (Entonox, Nitronox) is widely used in Europe and throughout the world to provide pain relief during labor [6][7][8][9].…”

Effects of nitrous oxide on intraoperative bowel distension

“…Return of bowel function and duration of hospital stay were studied by several investigators [12,14,15,17,20]. (The study by Krogh et al [17] represents the second biggest data set included in our metaanalysis, which contributed to the opinions presented in this review.)…”

Nitrous Oxide is an Effective and Safe Anesthetic

“…The second is bowel distension. But in unobstructed patients, the effect is modest and blinded surgeons in fact have difficulty determining whether nitrous oxide was used (11,12).…”