Is PONV Sabotaging You?

Background: It is well known that postoperative pain (POP) can contribute to postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV); however, whether PONV directly influences or increases subjective POP level is less well known. Objective: To determine if PONV following minor oral surgery (MOS) procedures under general anesthesia (GA) increases POP score. Design: Retrospective cohort study of patients between January 1, 2021, and August 4, 2022, who required MOS under GA. Methods: Patients were identified from a review performed of electronic records at a single institution. Included were patients aged between 16 and 65 years undergoing MOS under GA. Excluded were patients with any condition that would contribute to POP or PONV (obesity, gastrointestinal disorders). The primary predictor variables were PONV status (either present or absent) at 2, 6, and 24 hours. The primary outcome variables included intensity of POP measured at the same intervals via a visual analog scale (VAS) score (0 to 100 m more...