Background: The incidence of
postoperative nausea and vomiting (
PONV) remains high. The effects of
sufentanil for
PONV is not firmly confirmed. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of
sufentanil- and
fentanyl-based intravenous
patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) on the incidence of
PONV after laparoscopic
nephrectomy. Methods: Eighty-six patients were randomly allocated to receive either the
sufentanil (n =43) or
fentanyl (n =43). IV-PCA was prepared using either
sufentanil 3 µg/kg or
fentanyl 20 µg/kg,
ramosetron 0.3 mg, and
ketorolac 120 mg. The primary outcome of was the incidence of
PONV during 24 h after post
anesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge. The secondary outcomes were the modified Rhodes index and patient satisfaction scores at 24 h after PACU discharge, need for rescue
antiemetics,
pain score, need for additional
analgesics, and cumulative consumption of IV-PCA Results: The incidence of
PONV was comparable between the
sufentanil and
fentanyl groups (64.3% vs. 65%, p = 0.946; respectively). The number of patients who required
antiemetics (p = 0.946) and the modified Rhodes index at 24 h after post-
anesthesia care unit discharge (p = 0.668) were also comparable in both groups. No significant differences were found in the secondary outcomes, including the
analgesic profiles and adverse events between the groups. Conclusions: In conclusion,
sufentanil- and
fentanyl-based IV-PCA showed similar incidence of
PONV with comparable
analgesic effects after laparoscopic
nephrectomy. Based on these results, we suggest that
sufentanil and
fentanyl may provide comparable effects for IV-PCA after laparoscopic
nephrectomy.