Cochrane · systematic review · CD007598
Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Hines, S, Steels, E, Chang, A, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
20
current version
GRADE rated
8
No studies
12
Included studies
NR
No studies 12 · 60%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 3 · 15%Low 3 · 15%Moderate 2 · 10%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyAromatherapy compared to placebo for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: adults and children having any type of surgical procedure under general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia or sedation, either as hospital inpatients or outpatients, with existing PONV
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Nausea severity Aromatherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 241 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Nausea duration (nausea‐free at end of treatment) Assessed by numbers of participants Aromatherapy vs placebo | RR 3.25 [0.31, 34.33] | 4 studies · 193 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Proportion requiring rescue antiemetics Assessed by numbers of participants Aromatherapy vs placebo | RR 0.6 [0.37, 0.97] | 7 studies · 609 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Adverse events (common reactions to aromatherapy include skin rashes, dyspnoea, headache, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, hypertension or dizziness) Aromatherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Patient satisfaction with treatment Measured by a validated scale Aromatherapy vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Peppermint compared to placebo for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: adults and children having any type of surgical procedure under general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia or sedation, as hospital inpatients or outpatients, with existing PONV
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Nausea severity Peppermint vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 115 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Nausea duration (nausea‐free at end of treatment) Measured by participant self‐report or medical or nursing observation Peppermint vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Use of rescue antiemetics Peppermint vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events (common reactions to aromatherapy include skin rashes, dyspnoea, headache, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, hypertension or dizziness) Peppermint vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Patient satisfaction with treatment Measured by a validated scale Peppermint vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Isopropyl alcohol compared to standard treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: adults and children having any type of surgical procedure under general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia or sedation, as hospital inpatients or outpatients, with existing PONV
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Nausea severity Measured by a validated scale or medical or nursing observation Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Nausea duration (measured as nausea‐free at end of treatment) Assessed by time (minutes) to 50% reduction in nausea score Scale from: 0 to 120 Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 176 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Use of rescue antiemetics Assessed by proportion requiring antiemetics Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | RR 0.67 [0.46, 0.98] | 4 studies · 215 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Patient satisfaction with treatment Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | RR 1.12 [0.62, 2.03] | 2 studies · 172 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Adverse events (common reactions to aromatherapy include skin rashes, dyspnoea, headache, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, hypertension or dizziness) Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Isopropyl alcohol compared to saline for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: adults and children having any type of surgical procedure under general anaesthesia, regional anaesthesia or sedation, as hospital inpatients or outpatients, with existing PONV
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Nausea severity Measured by a validated scale or medical or nursing observation Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Nausea duration (nausea‐free at end of treatment) Measured by participant self‐report or medical or nursing observation Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Use of rescue antiemetics Assessed by proportion requiring rescue antiemetics Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | RR 0.39 [0.12, 1.24] | 4 studies · 291 participants | Very low Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency |
Adverse events (common reactions to aromatherapy include skin rashes, dyspnoea, headache, cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension, hypertension or dizziness) Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Patient satisfaction with treatment Measured by a validated scale Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Isopropyl alcohol compared to standard treatment for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: patients with treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Requirement for rescue anti‐emetics Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | RR 0.66 [0.45, 0.98] | 4 studies · 215 participants | Low |
Adverse effects4 Isopropyl alcohol vs standard treatment | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |
Isopropyl alcohol compared to saline for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
Population: patients with treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Requirement for rescue anti‐emetics1,2 count Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | RR 0.23 [0.14, 0.38] | 3 studies · 135 participants | Low |
Adverse effects6 Isopropyl alcohol vs saline | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |