es: aromatherapy, acupuncture and acupressure. Plus, we update you
on 3 promising antiemetics that could soon hit the market (see "3
PONV Drugs in the Pipeline" on page 58).
1. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has
proven to be an effec-
tive way to reduce
PONV, either as a
monotherapy or in
conjunction with phar-
macologic antiemet-
ics. We asked Lenora
Brown, DNP, RN,
FNP-BC, a nurse prac-
titioner on short surgi-
cal stay at Weill
Cornell Medical Center
at New York (N.Y.) Presbyterian Hospital, to share the results of her
recently completed study on the stomach-settling effects ascribed to
the aromatic compounds in essential oils and other plant extracts.
The inspiration for Dr. Brown's study came from something she
observed right on her own unit. Why is it, she wondered, did some
patients arrive in her 20-bed short-stay unit with nausea, while others
did not. Despite coming from different areas of the hospital, the
patients with the calm stomachs wore a lavender and saddlewood
aromatherapy clip-on patch on their gowns.
The patients without the patches? "They would always seem to
come up nauseous," says Dr. Brown. Because aromatherapy patches
were already being used in her facility, Dr. Brown decided to test
8 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8
• SCENTSATIONAL Like a car air freshener, you can peel away aromatherapy
patches attached to patients' gowns a little at a time until the maximum scent is
released.
