Effect of Two Different Concentrations of Oxygen on Postoperative Nausea Vomiting after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Prospective, Randomized, Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has now become the gold standard for symptomatic gallstone disease, offering faster recovery. While major complications like bile duct injury are rare, minor issues such as postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and sore throat remain common, often related to pneumoperitoneum, general anesthesia and airway manipulation. High-concentration oxygen therapy has been proposed to reduce PONV and surgical site infections. This study aims to compare the effects of two different oxygen concentrations on the incidence of PONV following LC.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This prospective randomized study enrolled 124 patients, aged 18-65 years of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Grade I/II after ethical approval. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups of 62 patients each. In Group A, patients were administered high concentrations of oxygen at 8 L/min through simple face mask, for 6 h after surgery and in Group B, patients were administered low concentrations of oxygen at 2 L/min through a simple face mask, for 6 h after surgery. Both the groups were compared for postoperative nausea vomiting scores, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores and postsurgery sore throat scores.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) were noted in PONV and VAS scores, with Group B (low-concentration oxygen group) showing higher scores compared to the higher-concentration group.

CONCLUSION

High-concentration oxygen therapy, compared to low-concentration therapy, reduce postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain during early recovery, without affecting hemodynamic parameters or respiratory stability, providing evidence-based guidance for optimizing postoperative oxygen therapy.