One hundred patients who were to have cataract extraction and intraocular lens replacement carried out were randomly assigned to one of two drug groups. The purpose was to compare droperidol/ fentanyl and diazepam/fentanyl for the following effects: central nervous system depression, cardiovascular depression and ability to alleviate anxiety. Patients, psychology observes, and surgeons were not cognizant of others' opionons, nor of assignment of drug treatment group. Experimental design was a between group single treatment design. Psychological testing consisted of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spielberger, Gorsuch and Lushene, and the Sensory/Affect ratio pain descriptors of Gracely, Dubner and McGrath. Opinion of ease of carrying out the surgical procedure was obtained from the surgeon, and opinion of the anaesthetic outcome was obtained from the anaesthetist. While both drug combinations proved to be successful for use as a sedative adjunct to local anaesthetic for this type of surgical procedure some differences were found. Patients found the diazepam/ fentanyl combination provided for a less intense overall procedure, and had little if any recall of the procedure. The surgeons also found the patients less restless in the diazepam/fentanyl group. Anaesthetists rated the level of sedation as equivalent for both groups and found there was not a significant difference between the amount of sedation they observed. / Dentistry, Faculty of / Graduate

Postoperativt illamående och kräkningar, PONV, har sedan anestesins begynnelse vållat patienten stort lidande. Tillståndet kan förlänga den postoperativa vistelsen och är en av de vanligaste orsakerna till oplanerad inläggning av patienter i samband med dagkirurgi. Syftet med föreliggande arbete var att undersöka den förebyggande effekten av akupressur som ensam intervention eller i kombination med viss farmakologisk antiemetisk terapi vid postoperativt illamående och kräkningar hos vuxna patienter efter allmänkirurgi. En systematisk litteraturstudie genomfördes och tio vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades och kvalitetsbedömdes. Sökning utfördes i databaserna PubMed, EBSCO HOST och Cochrane Library. Dessutom genomfördes manuell sökning. Resultatet visade att akupressur på en speciell triggerpunkt, P6, har en förebyggande effekt mot PONV. Ondansetron och akupressur är lika effektivt mot PONV, medan Droperidol verkar ha bättre effekt än akupressur. Slutsatsen var att akupressur har en plats som profylaktisk antiemetika för att förebygga PONV. / Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) has since the beginning of anesthesia caused the patient great suffering. It can prolong the post-operative stay and is one of the most common reasons for unplanned admittance of patients in connection to day surgery. The aim of this work was to study the preventive effect of acupressure as the lone intervention or in combination with certain pharmacological antiemetic therapies for post-operative nausea and vomiting in adult patients who have undergone general surgery. A systematic literature review was conducted and ten articles were included and each study subjected to a quality assessment. A PubMed, EBSCO HOST and Cochrane Library Database were conducted and a manual search of the literature references completed the search.The results showed that acupressure at the P6 meridian point has a preventive effect against PONV and that Ondansetron and acupressure are similarly effective against PONV, while Droperidal seems to have a better effect than acupressure. The conclusion was that acupressure can be used prophylactic to prevent PONV.

Symptoms after surgery and anaesthesia influence the patient´s ability to resume daily activities. If postoperative symptoms are controlled rehabilitation may be accelerated. The aims of this dissertation were to identify disturbing symptoms reported by patients after gynaecological surgery, to investigate what effect prohylactic treatment with antiemetics has on these symptoms and whether or not sensory simulation of the P6-acupressure has an effect on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and motion sickness. Methods: Total 1138 women participated in three clinical trials (Studies I, II, III) and one experimental study (Study IV). A questionnaire investigating postoperative symptoms was constructed and validated. The questionnaire was used in a prospective, consecutive, doubleblind, randomised, multicentre, and controlled study to identify incidence, and intensity of postoperative symptoms and the effect of common antiemetics (droperidol and granisetron) (Study III). The patients were followed for 24 h. In two studies (I, II) P6-acupressure was compared (prospective, double-blind, ransomised, controlled) with placebo acupressure and a reference group where the effect on PONV was followed over 24 h. The effect of P6-acupressure and placebo acupressure on motion sickness induced by a nauseogenic motion challenge was studied (Study III). Results: A high incidence and severity of postoperative symptoms were found after gynaecological surgery in a group with a high risk (>30%) for PONV. Sixty-four per cent (107/165) of the patients experienced disturbing symptoms after surgery and 46 % (76/165) scored their symptoms as moderate to very severe. Fourty-eight per cent (79/165) had two or more symptoms. A higher incidence of symptoms were reported in the groups with prophylactic treatment, granisetron 74% (123/165) and droperidol 80% (133/165) compared to the control group 41% (69/165) (P <0.05). The relative risk reduction for PONV with granisetron or droperidol prophylaxis is 27% respective 22%. The relative risk increase for headache is 63% after granisetron, and 44% for difficulty with accommodation after droperidol. Less PONV was seen after P6-acupressure, 33% (44/135) compared to reference group 46% (63/136) (p = 0.019), number needed to treat (NNT) was 7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4- 6]. When comparing laparoscopic and vaginal surgery (subgroup analysis) the main effect was in the vaginal group (day-case surgery), 36% (27/75) in the reference group to 27% (23/86) in the placebo group and to 20% (17/84) in the P6-acupressure group, (P = 0.017), NNT for the vaginal group was 6 [95% CI 3-18]. P6-acupressure increased time to nausea after a laboratory motion challenge and reduced the total number of symptoms reported (p <0.009). Conclusions: There is no clinical efficacy in the form of reduced postoperative symptoms after prophylactic antiemetics (droperidol and granisetron) in females with a high risk (>30%) for PONV undergoing gynaecological surgery. P6-acupressure reduces the incidence of PONV after gynaecological surgery in females with a high (>30%) risk for PONV. The effect seems to be most prominent after vaginal surgery. P6-acupressure increased tolerance to experimental nausogenic stimuli and reduced the total number of symptoms reported in females with a history of motion sickness. / On the day of the public defence the status of article IV was: Submitted.