Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting and Pain After Bariatric Surgery - a National Registry Study

Around 4,000-5,000 bariatric (weight-loss) operations are performed in Sweden every year. Nausea, vomiting and pain are common immediately after these operations, cause considerable suffering and increase the intensity and length of hospital care. Bariatric surgery is one of the procedures with the highest risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV): about one third of patients experience PONV already in the recovery unit, and registry data indicate that around 40% report severe pain at the same stage.

This study links two national quality registries - the Swedish Perioperative Register (SPOR) and the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry (SOReg) - to describe how often adult patients experience nausea, vomiting and pain in the post-anaesthesia care unit after primary bariatric surgery, and to identify patient, anaesthetic and surgical factors associated with these outcomes. The study tests whether total intravenous anaesthesia, the addition of a regional nerve block, and preoperative health-related quality of life are associated with PONV and pain, and whether early PONV or pain is associated with complications, unplanned hospital care or reoperation up to one year after surgery. The results are intended to show how well current evidence on preventing PONV and pain is applied in everyday practice and where care can be improved.