Effect of Pre-and Intraoperative Anxiety on Nausea and Vomiting during Spinal Anaesthesia in Cesarean Section Patients in a Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, in 2016

Nausea and vomiting are two of the most common complications after spinal anesthesia that may be affected by anxiety in the patient. It may cause patient dissatisfaction, delay post-anesthetic care unit (PACU) discharge, prolong hospital stay, and increase the cost of hospitalization as a result. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of preoperative and intraoperative anxiety on vomiting and nausea caused by spinal anesthesia in cesarean.

This cross-sectional study was carried out using the purposive sampling method on100 patients who were referred to Fatemieh Hospital of Hamedan, Iran, in 2016. Spielberger questionnaire and Visual Analogue Scale were used to assess preoperative and intraoperative anxiety, respectively. Nausea and vomiting were assessed during the intraoperative period and in the recovery room. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version18) through Chi-square and independent sample t-test.

The results showed that there were no significant differences between patients with and without vomiting in terms of preoperative state, trait anxiety, and intraoperative anxiety level. However, significant differences were observed between patients with and without nausea in terms of preoperative trait anxiety (P≤0.05).

 Based on the obtained results, nausea in patients can be influenced by their anxiety. Therefore, attention to the anxiety in patients and reduction of this anxiety can reduce nausea in these patients.