Objective: To examine the effectiveness of dexamethasone and ondansetron in reducing the incidence of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients following laparoscopic surgery.

Patients and Methods: A total number of 100 patients who were planned for laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia having age 20-60 years were included in this study from a tertiary care hospital from Dec-2019 to June-2021. Patients were divided in to two group using Draw randomization technique. Group I; in these patients IV dexamethasone 8 mg was given at the time of induction of anesthesia. Group II; in these patients Ondansetron (4 mg IV) was given at induction of anesthesia. After completing the surgery and shifting the patient to the recovery room frequency of PONV within 6 hours after surgery was noted.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 43.31±10.41 years. There were 54 (54.00%) male patients and 46 (46.00%) female patients. There were 75 (75.00%) patients with ASA I and 25 (25.00%) patients with ASA II. PONV occurred in 11 (22.00%) patients in dexamethasone group and in 21 (42.00%) patients in ondansetron group (p-value 0.03).

Conclusion: After laparoscopic surgery, dexamethasone decreased the prevalence of nausea and vomiting. A single dosage of dexamethasone was proven to be a safe and cost-effective alternative to a single dose of ondansetron.

Keywords: Dexamethasone, Ondansetron, post-operative Nausea and vomiting.