Nausea and Vomiting After Posterior Spinal Fusion in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Abstract

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) affects patient satisfaction, health care costs, and hospital stay by complicating the postoperative recovery period after adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) spinal fusion surgery. Our goal was to identify recommendations for optimal management of PONV in AIS patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF). Methods: We performed a systematic review in June 2022, searching the PubMed and Embase electronic databases using search terms “(Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis) AND (Postoperative) AND (Nausea) AND (Vomiting).” Three authors reviewed the 402 abstracts identified from January 1991 to June 2022. Studies that included adolescents or young adults (<21 years) with AIS undergoing PSF were selected for full-text review by consensus. We identified 34 studies reporting on incidence of PONV. Only 6 studies examined PONV as the primary outcome, whereas remaining were reported PONV as a secondary outcome. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Grades of recommendation were assigned to potential interventions or clinical practice influencing incidence of PONV with respect to operative period (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative period) on the basis that potential guidelines/interventions for PONV can be targeted at those periods. Results: A total of 11 factors were graded, 5 of which were related to intervention and 6 were clinical practice-related. Eight factors could be classified into the operative period—1 in the intraoperative period and 7 in the postoperative period, whereas the remaining 3 recommendations had overlapping periods. The majority of grades of recommendations given were inconclusive or conflicting. The statement that neuraxial and postoperative systemic-only opioid therapy have a similar incidence of PONV was supported by good (Grade A) evidence. There was fair (Grade B) and poor evidence (Grade C) to avoid opioid antagonists and nonopioid local analgesia using wound catheters as PONV-reducing measures. Conclusion: Although outcomes after spinal fusion for AIS have been studied extensively, the literature on PONV outcomes is scarce and incomplete. PONV is most commonly included as a secondary outcome in studies related to pain management. This study is the first to specifically identify evidence and recommendations for interventions or clinical practice that influence PONV in AIS patients undergoing PSF. Most interventions and clinical practices have conflicting or limited data to support them, whereas others have low-level evidence as to whether the intervention/clinical practice influences the incidence of PONV. We have identified the need for expanded research using PONV as a primary outcome in patients with AIS undergoing spinal fusion surgery.