[Postoperative vomiting after pars plana vitrectomy]

Abstract

In the present investigation we compared two different techniques of anaesthesia--total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) versus balanced anaesthesia--with and without antiemetic prophylaxis, with regard to postoperative nausea, strangling irritation and vomiting and their influence upon postoperative complications (intraocular bleedings) and postoperative intraocular pressure after pars plana vitrectomia. For this investigation four groups were formed. The anaesthesias were carried out as orotracheal intubational anaesthesia following two standard techniques, which only differ in the choice of the narcotics. Half the patients in each group were treated with an antiemetic prophylaxis of 2.5 mg DHBP. With regard to the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, the TIVA-groups proved to be better than those with balanced anaesthesia (16% to 43.5%; p < 0.05): DHBP in both methods led to a reduction of postoperative vomiting and nausea, but the differences showed not to be significant (p > 0.05). Best results were achieved with a combination of TIVA (propofol, alfentanil, atracurium, air/O2) and DHBP (4.7%). The total rate of postoperative complications in form of intraocular bleedings amounted to 8.6%. The appearance of complications increased when postoperative nausea and vomiting or increased intraocular pressure were observed (16.6% to 6.3%; 21.2% to 6.1%). Intraocular pressure, measured for four hours postoperatively, was significantly lower in the TIVA-groups than in the balanced anaesthesia-groups (15.5 +/- 7.7 mmHg to 18.3 +/- 8.2 mmHg). Therefore, we conclude that TIVA with propofol appears to be especially suitable for intraocular surgery.