Post-operative nausea and vomiting - recommendations for its prevention and therapy in paediatric medicine

Post-operative nausea and / or vomiting (PONV / POV) are among the biggest problems occurring in the paediatric recovery room and in the course of the following post-operative period. Apart from pain and emergence delirium, PONV is one of the main causes of post- operative discomfort in children. The DGAI Scientific Working Group on Paediatric Anaesthesia already worked out recommendations for the prevention and treatment of PONV in children years ago. These recommendations have now been revised by a team of experts, the current literature has been reviewed, and evidence -based core recommendations have been consented. Key elements of the new recommendations consist of effective individual measures for prevention and therapy, next to the im- plementation of a fixed dual prophylaxis in the clinical routine applicable to all children >= 3 years of age.