The evaluation of domperidone and metoclopramide as antiemetics in day care abortion patients

Abstract

A randomised double-blind investigation was undertaken to assess the value of domperidone and metoclopramide as prophylactic anti-emetics in unpremedicated patients undergoing general anaesthesia for therapeutic abortion on a day care basis. Sixty patients were divided into three groups, and received, at induction, one of three drugs intravenously. The incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting were 35% in the group receiving normal saline as placebo, 30% in the group receiving 10 mg domperidone and 25% in the group receiving 10 mg metoclopramide; these were not statistically significantly different. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting as influenced by age, weight, length of gestation, anaesthetic time and a history of nausea and vomiting during the pregnancy.