Impacts of intrathecal fentanyl on the incidence of postoperative nausea/vomiting: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized studies

Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is an event of multifactorial origin with an incidence of 30% in the general population. Opioids such as fentanyl are being used as adjuvant to local anesthetic for its antiemetic effect. In this context, with this study we aimed to evaluate the impact of spinal fentanyl as an adjuvant on the incidence of PONV compared with a placebo, and shivering. A systematic search of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the use of spinal fentanyl in the prevention of PONV and shivering was conducted in different databases, of which 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 2116 patients scheduled for various surgeries, including cesarean section, orthopedic surgery in the lower limb, hysterectomy, and transurethral resection of the prostate, were included in the final analysis. The meta-analysis estimated the relative risk of incidence of PONV in the first 24 hours after surgery and secondary outcomes included the shivering symptom. The use of intrathecal fentanyl was associated with lower incidence of PONV, but not statistically significant when compared to the placebo (RR: 0.74 CI95%: 0.55-1.01 P = 0.06). Subgroup analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in PONV incidences with lower doses between 10 and 15 μg (RR: 0.44 CI95%: 0.35–0.55 P < 0.00001, I(2) = 0%) but not with higher doses 20–25 μg. Secondary outcomes showed a decrease in incidence with the use of fentanyl vs the placebo (RR: 0.49, CI95% 0.33-0.72 P = 0.0003). Current evidence shows that the use of spinal fentanyl decreases the incidence of PONV, an effect favored using low doses.