The effect of ginger and mint on postoperative nausea & vomiting in patients after total thyroidectomy

Nausea and vomiting are common symptoms after surgery and very uncomfortable experiences for the patients also after thyroidectomy. Phytotherapy is an effective method of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in preventing nausea and vomiting. This study was planned as a randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of ginger and peppermint on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. The study was carried out in 81 patients (Ginger group=27, Peppermint group=27, control group=27) having elective thyroidectomy in Bezmialem Vakıf University General Surgery Department between February 2021 and August 2022. In the intervention group, the essential oil was administered to the patients as inhalation in the 2nd, 6th, and 24th hours after the surgery. Pain, nausea-vomiting number and severity and antiemetic use of the groups were evaluated by "Visual Analog Scale" in the 2nd, 6th and 24th hours and by "Rhodes Nausea-Vomiting Index" score at the end of the 24th hour. It was determined that the number and severity of nausea and vomiting at the 6th hour postoperatively in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). It was found that the number and severity of nausea in the intervention group at the 2nd, 6th and 24th hours after surgery, and the number and severity of vomiting at the 2nd and 6th hours after the surgery were lower than the control group. In all three groups, the number and severity of nausea and vomiting were found to be the highest at the 6th hour after surgery. As a result, it was found that ginger and peppermint applications were effective and safe nursing interventions for nausea and vomiting (the number and severity) that developed at the 6th hour after thyroidectomy and reduced the use of antiemetics. With these results, it is recommended to use phytotherapy to prevent nausea and vomiting in the postoperative period.