Background.
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are
common adverse events with an incidence of up to
80% in high-risk patients. Ramosetron, a
selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist,
is widely used to prevent PONV. The purpose of this
study was to evaluate the effective dose of ramosetron
for the prevention of PONV in
high-risk patients. Methods.
Fifty-one patients were randomly allocated to 3
groups and were administered ramosetron
0.3 mg (group A), 0.45 mg (group
B), or 0.6 mg (group C), at the end of
their surgery. The episodes of PONV were
assessed 1, 6, 24, and 48 hours after the
injection and all the adverse events were
observed. Results. The complete
response rate in the postoperative period
6–24 hours after the anesthesia was
higher in group C than in group A: 93%
versus 44%. Group C's experience
score of Rhodes index was lower than group
A's: 0.81 ± 2.56 versus 3.94 ±
5.25. No adverse drug reaction could be observed
in all groups. Conclusions. The
effective dose of ramosetron to be injected for
the near-complete prophylaxis of PONV 6 to 24
hours after surgery in high-risk patients is a
0.6 mg bolus injection at the end of the
surgery.