Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a serious problem complicating surgery. PONV has an overall incidence of 30% and a 70% incidence in high-risk patients. PONV yields unplanned hospital admission, pulmonary aspiration, esophageal rupture, electrolyte abnormalities, dehydration, and delayed discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Additional use of resources costs the health care industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Patient satisfaction is greatly improved when PONV is prevented.4 PONV etiology is multifactorial and the treatment is multimodal.
