KUMJ | VOL. 23 | NO. 5 | ISSUE 93 | DECEMBER, 2026
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Major Gynecological Surgery
Shrestha S, Gurung T, Maharjan M, Bajracharya P, Shrestha A, Sharma MR
Abstract: Background
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and distressing complication
after surgery that may lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, wound dehiscence,
delayed recovery, prolonged hospital stays. Patients undergoing gynecological
surgery are at higher risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting due to female gender,
hormonal influences, pelvic procedures and the frequent use of general anesthesia
Objective
To identify the prevalence and assess risk factors of postoperative nausea and
vomiting in patients undergoing major gynecological surgery in our population.
Method
This was an observational and analytical study conducted in 328 patients undergoing
major gynecological surgery under anesthesia from October 2024 to February 2025.
The enrolled patients were followed up in postoperative ward and were assessed
for the presence of postoperative nausea and vomiting for 24 hours. The data was
analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21. Frequencies and proportion were used to
analyze the prevalence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Chi-square test, crosstabulation
and binary logistic regression test were used to identify the association of
the risk factors with postoperative nausea and vomiting.
Result
The prevalence of postoperative nausea was 48.2 %, while 15.9% of patients
experienced retching and 33.5% experienced vomiting. The overall prevalence of
postoperative nausea and vomiting was 54.3%. There was a significant association
between the type of anesthesia and the occurrence of postoperative nausea and
vomiting (p=0.006). Patients receiving CSE had 1.99 times higher odds of developing
postoperative nausea and vomiting compared to general anesthesia. However, there
was no statistically significant (AOR: 1.99, 95% CI: 0.55-7.22, p =0.294).
Conclusion
The prevalence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was higher in patients
undergoing major gynecological surgery in patients receiving combined spinal
epidural anesthesia.
Keyword : Gynecologic surgical procedure, Postoperative nausea and vomiting, Prevalence, Risk factors
