Postoperative nausea and vomiting after oral and maxillofacial surgery: a prospective study

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most unpleasant experiences after surgery. It reduces patient satisfaction and also increases hospital costs due to longer hospitalizations. The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether orthognathic surgery is associated with more PONV than less invasive maxillofacial surgery. Three hundred and eight patients aged 8–87 years who underwent maxillofacial surgery were included. The PONV score, based on the Apfel score, was calculated preoperatively. PONV occurred in 142 (46.1%) patients during the first three postoperative days; these patients were further categorized as having postoperative nausea (PON) and/or postoperative vomiting (POV). PON was most frequent after orthognathic surgery to the mandible (75%), and POV was most frequent after maxillary surgery, including bimaxillary surgery, Le Fort I osteotomy, and surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) (43.1%). There was a small significant relationship between the preoperative PONV score and the incidence of PONV: patients experienced more PONV when the PONV score calculated preoperatively was higher. The incidence of PONV after orthognathic surgery was very high compared with the incidence after dental extractions and other minor surgeries. Further investigation is required to establish a strategy to reduce PONV after orthognathic surgery.