Post-operative Nausea and Vomiting: Comparison of the Role of Ramosetron and Ondansetron

Background: Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is the most common symptom having incidence of 53-72% in laparoscopic surgeries. Ondansetron is the most popular drug used for controlling nausea and vomiting postoperatively. Both ondansetron and ramosetron are selective 5HT3 receptor antagonists. A prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study was done in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, comparing the efficacy of ondansetron and ramosetron. Materials and Methods: About 150 patients admitted in Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were divided into two groups. These patients were divided into two equal groups (n = 75) by computer-generated randomization. The control group was given ondansetron and the experimental group was given ramosetron for preventing PONV. Result: In the early phase (<24 h) of post-operative period, 53.33% in control group and 50.66% in experimental group experienced PONV and retching. However, this was statistically insignificant. Whereas in the late phase (>24 h), the percentages were 28% and 13.33% in control and experimental groups, respectively, which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Besides, this severity of nausea, vomiting, and retching was more in the control group as compared to other. Conclusion: The present study concludes that ramosetron plays a better role in controlling PONV, both in early and late phase as compared to ondansetron in laparoscopic surgeries. The severity of symptoms was also less in patients taking ramosetron.