Designing Optimal Prevention and Management of Postoperative Nausea and Emesis for Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Bariatric surgery remains the most effective therapy for obesity. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are commonly reported following bariatric surgery. The proposed study focuses on the most common bariatric procedure performed, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), and aims to assess the effect of a post-operative nausea and vomiting-specific intervention. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention group will experience a reduction of nausea-related prolonged hospital stay and significantly improve patient-reported quality of recovery from surgery and quality of life.

To test this hypothesis, participants undergoing sleeve gastrectomy will be randomized to two groups: control vs Nausea specific-intervention group. All subjects will be assessed with a nausea specific questionnaire at 1, 4, 12, 24 hours and 3 weeks after surgery. Patient satisfaction with recovery will be assessed using specialized questionnaires at baseline, 24 hrs. and 3 weeks following surgery. Serial assessments of nausea, vomiting, quality of life and quality of recovery, will allow the investigators to identify an effect on incidence and severity of Post-operative Nausea and Vomiting. Importantly, the investigators will evaluate for an impact in patient-reported measures of quality of life. The total sample size is 83. This study will provide valuable insight on the epidemiology of post-operative nausea and vomiting after hospital discharge following Sleeve gastrectomy, which is currently poorly characterized. By allowing the investigators to assess the overall incidence of nausea and vomiting at different time points, this study will afford the opportunity to identify a time period of high incidence and further adjust our prevention efforts accordingly in future studies.