Background

Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common uncomfortable symptoms experienced by patients. Besides drugs, non-pharmaceutical therapies such as herbal medicine therapy are available. Ginger has played a therapeutic role in patients undergoing chemotherapy and pregnant women, but results from postoperative patients are inconsistent.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate the preventive effect of ginger on postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Design

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Methods

Two independent researchers searched Chinese and English databases from their inception dates to November 2020. The Chinese databases used were CNKI and SinoMed, and the English databases used were PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. We only included randomized controlled trials. The primary outcomes were nausea score, presented as standard mean difference, and the number of vomiting episodes, presented as risk ratio. The secondary outcomes were side effects and antiemetic drug use, presented as risk ratios. We used the random-effects model.

Results

Fourteen randomized trials with a total of 1,506 patients were pooled. At the different time points, the control group had higher postoperative nausea scores than the experimental group, and the differences were significant between the ginger and placebo groups at 2, 6, and 12 h after operation, with standard mean differences and 95% confidence intervals of −1.10 and −1.95 to −0.25, −1.54 and −3.05 to −0.03, and −2.04 and −3.67 to −0.41, respectively. Except in the recovery room, no statistically significant correlation was found between ginger intake and postoperative vomiting, postoperative nausea and vomiting, or antiemetic drug use.

Conclusion

The results of this meta-analysis demonstrate that ginger can reduce postoperative nausea but showed no significant difference in the incidence rates of postoperative vomiting, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and antiemetic drug use. More high-quality and rigorous trials are needed to elucidate the relationship between ginger intake and the reduction in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Protocol registration

CRD42020220916

中文翻译：

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生姜对术后恶心呕吐的预防和缓解作用：随机对照试验的系统评价和荟萃分析

 背景

术后恶心和呕吐是患者常见的不适症状。除了药物治疗外，还可以采用非药物疗法，例如草药疗法。生姜对接受化疗的患者和孕妇起到了治疗作用，但术后患者的结果并不一致。

 目标

本研究的目的是检查和评估生姜对术后恶心和呕吐的预防作用。

 设计

随机对照试验的系统回顾和荟萃分析

 方法

两名独立研究人员检索了从建库日期到 2020 年 11 月的中文和英文数据库。使用的中文数据库是 CNKI 和 SinMed，使用的英文数据库是 PubMed、Embase 和 Cochrane Library。我们只纳入随机对照试验。主要结局是恶心评分（以标准均差表示）和呕吐次数（以风险比表示）。次要结果是副作用和止吐药物的使用，以风险比表示。我们使用随机效应模型。

 结果

共有 1,506 名患者参加了 14 项随机试验。在不同时间点，对照组术后恶心评分高于实验组，生姜组和安慰剂组在术后2、6和12小时差异显着，具有标准均数差异和95%置信区间分别为-1.10和-1.95至-0.25、-1.54和-3.05至-0.03、以及-2.04和-3.67至-0.41。除恢复室外，生姜摄入量与术后呕吐、术后恶心呕吐或止吐药物使用之间没有发现统计学上显着的相关性。

 结论

这项荟萃分析的结果表明，生姜可以减少术后恶心，但在术后呕吐发生率、术后恶心呕吐以及止吐药物使用方面没有显着差异。需要更多高质量和严格的试验来阐明生姜摄入量与减少术后恶心和呕吐发生率之间的关系。

 协议注册

CRD42020220916