Effectiveness of Ginger for Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting after Gynecological Laparoscopy
Sirirat Apariman MD*, Sawinee Ratchanon MD*, Budsaba Wiriyasirivej MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Medical College and Vajira Hospital
Objective :To study the effectiveness of ginger for prevention of nausea and vomiting after gynecological
laparoscopy.
Materials and Methods : From July 2005 to October 2005, 60 inpatients who underwent laparoscopic opera-
tions for non-cancer gynecologic conditions at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Medical College or
Vajira Hospital were randomized into Group A (n = 30) or Group B (n = 30). Group A received 3 capsules of
ginger (1 capsule contained 0.5 g of ginger powder) while Group B received 3 capsules of placebo. Both
groups received their medicine 1 hour prior the operation. Nausea and vomiting were assessed with the Visual
Analogue Scores (VAS) and presence of vomiting at 2 and 6 hours after the operation.
Results : Median VAS at 2 hours post operation of Group A was not significantly different from that of Group B
with the median of 0 (range, 0-5.4) and 0.15(range, 0-10) respectively (95%CI from -2.59 to 0.90 and p =
0.142). At 6 hours post operation, the median VAS of Group A was significantly lower than group B, 0.55(range,
0-7.4) versus 2.80(range,0-10) (95%CI from -3.61 to -0.73 and p = 0.015). Presence of vomiting at 2 hours
was not different between the two groups, 10% in Group A and 20% in Group B (95%CI from -28% to 8% and
p = 0.278). At 6 hours, 23.3% of group A had an episode of vomiting compared to 46.7% of group B (95%CI
from -47% to 1% and p = 0.058).
Conclusion : Ginger has shown efficacy for prevention of nausea and borderline significance to prevention
vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy at 6 hour post operation.
Keywords : Ginger, Nausea, Vomiting, Gynecological laparoscopy
