Effects of preoperative administration of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on postoperative nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

One of the most common postoperative problems is nausea and vomiting. Although using some anesthetic materials has been considered as the mainstay of this phenomenon, the exact factors are not known. Because of several morbidities associated with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), its prevention and treatment has been a challenge for physicians, so several drugs have been recommended for this purpose. Based on the documented antiemetic specificity of ginger, we evaluated and compared the effects of preoperative administration of ginger on PONV with ondansetron administration as the standard medication. The participants included 100 patients with cholelitiasis who were candidate for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients were divided into two groups: group A comprised 50 patients who received 500 mg oral ginger 1 h before surgery, and group B included 50 patients who received 4 mg intravenous ondansetron before completion of surgery. Antiemetic efficacy was assessed by visual analogue scale scores of nausea intensity at 0, 4, 8, 16, and 24 h after surgery and frequency of vomiting during the evaluation period. Although multifactor analysis showed that nausea severity was significantly lower in the ginger group, the data indicated that except 16 h after operation, the differences between two groups in the frequency of vomiting was not significant. In conclusion, though complementary studies are needed to have a strong suggestion, based on this study, we recommend administration of oral ginger 1 h before operation to control the severity of PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.