A Prospective Randomized Study of the Effectiveness of Aromatherapy for Relief of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

Introduction: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a major concern for patients having surgery under general anesthesia as it causes subjective distress along with increased complications and delays in discharge from the hospital. Aromatherapy represents a complementary and alternative therapy for the management of PONV Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of aromatherapy (QueaseEase, Soothing Scents, Inc, Enterprise, AL) versus an unscented inhalant in relieving PONV. Methods: One hundred twenty-one patients with postoperative nausea were randomized into a treatment group receiving an aromatic inhaler and a control group receiving a placebo inhaler to evaluate the effectiveness of aromatherapy. Findings: Initial and follow-up nausea assessment scores in both treatment and placebo groups decreased significantly (I <.01), and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P =.03). Perceived effectiveness of aromatherapy was significantly higher in the treatment group (P <.001). Conclusions: Aromatherapy was favorably received by most patients and represents an effective treatment option for postoperative nausea. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses