Anaes Vivas · Anaesthetic adjuncts

Data viva — the antiemetic classes and the PONV prophylaxis evidence

A data viva on the four antiemetic classes used in PONV — the 5-HT3 antagonists (ondansetron, serotonin receptor, QT prolongation), dexamethasone (central inflammatory pathways, slow onset, safe), droperidol (D2 antagonist, black-box QT warning), and the NK1 antagonists (substance P, long-acting, expensive). The principle that monotherapy reduces relative risk by only about a quarter to a third, and that combination therapy is additive because the classes act at different receptors, is the key data interpretation point.