A comparison of the prophylactic antiemetic effect of ondansetron and droperidol on patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy

Abstract

We compared ondansetron with droperidol, given prophylactically, in a randomized, prospective, double-blind study of women undergoing outpatient gynecologic laparoscopy. One-hundred fifty-eight women received either ondansetron (4 mg) or droperidol (20 micrograms/kg) intravenously during induction of anesthesia. Nausea was measured at three intervals: at admission to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), 1 h after admission to the PACU, and on Postoperative Day 1. The incidence of vomiting was tabulated in the PACU and on Postoperative Day 1. Sedation was assessed 1 h after admission to the PACU. No differences in nausea, sedation, or number of patients vomiting in the PACU were found. More patients in the ondansetron group reported vomiting on Postoperative Day 1 than subjects in the droperidol group (25 vs 11). No difference in opiate use was found among patients who vomited. We conclude that droperidol is equivalent to ondansetron for the prophylactic treatment of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy, and that significant cost savings can be appreciated if droperidol is used.

Implications: Either ondansetron or droperidol, frequently used antiemetics, was given to women before they underwent gynecologic laparoscopy. No difference in the number of women experiencing postoperative nausea and vomiting or their level of sedation was found. Equivalent effectiveness and significant cost-savings may be obtained by using droperidol prophylactically for laparoscopic surgery.