Abstract
Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remains one of the most common complications following general anaesthesia, adversely affecting patient recovery and satisfaction. Prophylactic antiemetic therapy is therefore a key component of perioperative care.
Objectives: To compare the efficacy of prophylactic intravenous Ondansetron and Dexamethasone in preventing PONV in patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anaesthesia.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective comparative study on 100 adult patients scheduled for elective surgeries under general anaesthesia. We observed the patients for 24 hours postoperatively for incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting, need for rescue antiemetics and patient satisfaction. The statistical analysis was performed using Chi‑square and Wilcoxon tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: The overall incidence of PONV was significantly lower in the Dexamethasone group compared to the Ondansetron group (28% vs 36%, p = 0.041). Patients receiving Dexamethasone experienced significantly less moderate to severe nausea (p = 0.0037) and required fewer rescue antiemetics (16% vs 32%). Patient satisfaction scores were higher in the Dexamethasone group (p = 0.0231). No significant hemodynamic instability or drug‑related adverse effects were observed in either group.
Conclusion: Prophylactic Dexamethasone demonstrated superior efficacy compared to Ondansetron in reducing the incidence and severity of PONV, with lower rescue antiemetic requirement and higher patient satisfaction. Dexamethasone may be considered a preferred single‑agent prophylactic antiemetic in elective surgeries under general anaesthesia.