Factors of Reduction of Postoperative Pain and Nausea-Vomiting after Bariatric Surgery

Introduction: Bariatric surgery significantly increases the risk of nausea, vomiting and postoperative pain. As a result, there is an increase in both mortality and hospitalization costs. Aim: The investigation through the systematic review of the international literature of the factors that contribute to the reduction of postoperative nausea - vomiting and pain, after bariatric surgery. Material and Method: The bibliographic articles were searched in the PubMed online database using the following keywords: "bariatric surgery", "postoperative nausea" and "postoperative pain". The selection criteria were as follows: (a) studies in humans, (b) studies involving clinical trials (c) studies published in English and d) adult patient populations. Results: A search of the international literature found thirty (30) studies, of which five (5) were included in the present systematic review. More specifically, the administration of opioid-free anesthesia was examined, in two (2) studies the combined action of the antiemetic ondansetron and dexamethasone was checked, in another study the action of the pulmonary maneuvering technique and in another (1) study the comparison of the action of the sufentanil was compared with that of remifentanil. The analysis of the studies showed that the aforementioned techniques can significantly reduce nausea-vomiting and postoperative pain. Conclusions: The above interventions contribute to the reduction of the levels of postoperative nausea - vomiting and pain and their application is considered necessary for the faster recovery of patients after bariatric surgeries.