Clinical trial NCT01734161: Dexamethasone for the Prevention of Post-operative Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Sections
Official title: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Intravenous Dexamethasone for Nausea Prophylaxis Prior to Duramorph and Bupivacaine Spinal Anesthesia for Scheduled Cesarean Section
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Keywords: cesarean section
nausea
vomiting
dexamethasone
postoperative nausea and vomiting
antiemetics
Lead sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2012-11-27
Enrollment: 122
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 46
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: Patients who present for scheduled (non-emergent) cesarean section will be given either intravenous dexamethasone or placebo prior to receiving a duramorph containing spinal anesthetic. The investigators will then compare the incidence of nausea and vomiting and the use of rescue anti-nausea medications in both groups. Our hypothesis is that patients receiving dexamethasone prior to duramorph containing spinal anesthesia for cesarean section will have a significantly lower incidence and severity of PONV at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours following surgery.

Detailed description: Women having cesarean sections commonly experience post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). This can be partly attributed to the long acting morphine (duramorph) given in the anesthetic (either through the epidural or in the spinal anesthetic). Intravenous dexamethasone is a widely used steroid medication with a well-established safety profile which is the standard of care for the prevention of PONV for general anesthesia in both adult and pediatric surgical patients. Many studies have shown that when intravenous dexamethasone is administered before duramorph in the epidural, the incidence of nausea and vomiting following cesarean section is significantly reduced. However, when patients receive intravenous dexamethasone after duramorph in a spinal anesthetic, it does not reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting. There are not any published studies where dexamethasone was administered before a spinal anesthetic. The investigators believe that if dexamethasone is given intravenously before duramorph in a spinal anesthetic it may reduce the incidence of nausea and vomiting. Patients who present for scheduled (non-emergent) cesarean section will be given either intravenous dexamethasone or placebo prior to receiving a duramorph containing spinal anesthetic. The investigators will then compare the incidence of nausea and vomiting and the use of rescue anti-nausea medications in both groups. Our hypothesis is that patients receiving dexamethasone prior to duramorph containing spinal anesthesia for cesarean section will have a significantly lower incidence and severity of PONV at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours following surgery.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Women aged 18-46 presenting for scheduled primary or repeat cesarean sections and have consented to study

Exclusion Criteria:

* allergy to dexamethasone or morphine
* history of gastrointestinal disease
* history of severe nausea during pregnancy (hyperemesis gravidarum)
* use of anti-emetic in the past 24 hours
* history of gestational diabetes or diabetes mellitus
* history of hypertension prior to or during pregnancy
* presence of non-viable fetus

Primary outcomes:
measure: Incidence of Post-operative Nausea and/or Vomiting
timeFrame: 48 hours
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Weill Cornell Medical College
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
name: Klaus Kjaer, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Allen TK, Jones CA, Habib AS. Dexamethasone for the prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting associated with neuraxial morphine administration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anesth Analg. 2012 Apr;114(4):813-22. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0b013e318247f628. Epub 2012 Feb 17.
citation: Cardoso MM, Leite AO, Santos EA, Gozzani JL, Mathias LA. Effect of dexamethasone on prevention of postoperative nausea, vomiting and pain after caesarean section: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2013 Mar;30(3):102-5. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0b013e328356676b.
citation: Hamzei A, Basiri-Moghadam M, Pasban-Noghabi S. Effect of dexamethasone on incidence of headache after spinal anesthesia in cesarean section. A single blind randomized controlled trial. Saudi Med J. 2012 Sep;33(9):948-53.
citation: Selzer A, Pryor KO, Tangel V, O'Connell K, Kjaer K. The effect of intravenous dexamethasone on postoperative nausea and vomiting after Cesarean delivery with intrathecal morphine: a randomized-controlled trial. Can J Anaesth. 2020 Jul;67(7):817-826. doi: 10.1007/s12630-020-01582-y. Epub 2020 Jan 27.