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Motion sickness as a predictor of postoperative vomiting in children aged 1–16 years
Author(s) -
THOMAS MARK,
WOODHEAD GREG,
MASOOD NADIA,
HOWARD RICHARD
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
pediatric anesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.704
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1460-9592
pISSN - 1155-5645
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9592.2006.02010.x
Subject(s) - medicine , motion sickness , predictive value , vomiting , incidence (geometry) , nausea , pediatrics , anesthesia , surgery , psychiatry , physics , optics
Summary Background: Motion sickness (MS) may be a risk factor for postoperative vomiting (POV), but its independent predictive value in children is not known. Methods: A convenience sample of 70 consecutive patients aged 1–16 years scheduled for elective surgery were questioned, a history of MS was sought and patients were observed for the subsequent development of POV. Results: The overall incidence of POV was 29%. Fourteen children (20%) had a history of MS; MS‐positive children were more likely to vomit than those who were MS‐negative ( P < 0.01). The type of surgery, use of opioids or prophylactic antiemetics did not differ significantly between the groups. The sensitivity of MS as a predictor of POV is 45% and the specificity 90%, giving a positive predictive value of 64.3% and a negative predictive value of 80.4%. Conclusion: Motion sickness is associated with POV in this group of children, but its positive predictive value is fairly low.