Palonosetron A Promising New Prophylactic for PONV

Aim and Objective- The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of palonosetron 0.075 mg for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing middle ear surgeries in comparison with ondansetron. Methods - In this prospective observational study, 70 healthy patients who were undergoing elective middle ear surgeries were divided into 2 groups: Group P (palonosetron 0.075 mg i.v., n = 35) and group C (ondansetron 8 mg i.v., n = 35). The drugs were given 5 minutes before induction of anaesthesia. The incidence of nausea, vomiting, retching, severity of nausea, use of recue antiemetic and incidence of complete response were evaluated. Results - The incidence of nausea, vomiting and severity of nausea was lower in palonosetron group as compared to ondansetron group but this difference was not statistically different. The incidence of use of rescue antiemetic (5.71% vs 23.53%) was significantly lower in palonosetron group. The incidence of complete response was higher in palonosetron group (88.87% vs 68.57%) but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion- The prophylactic intravenous administration of single dose of palonosetron 0.075 mg is not more effective in controlling postoperative nausea and vomiting as compared to ondansetron 8 mg in middle ear surgery.