Decreasing Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting in the Bariatric Surgical Patient

April 27, 2026 updated by: Methodist Health System
From the research and current studies, post-operative nausea and vomiting is a common complaint after bariatric surgery. Nausea relief inhalers could improve post-operative nausea and vomiting without the need for further medications, subsequently reducing the chance of side effects. This study could help improve patient satisfaction and increase the ability of the patient to ambulate after surgery with the use of a nausea relief inhaler.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Post-operative nausea and vomiting is a very common and uncomfortable issue that occurs after bariatric surgery. 65% of patients have post-operative nausea and vomiting. Compared to previously published results, this percentage was higher than patients undergoing ambulatory surgery. The most common start of post-operative nausea and vomiting was in the first six hours but continued to increase during the first 24 hours. Post-operative nausea and vomiting inhibits early mobilization for the patient affected. Even patients that received nausea and vomiting prophylaxis at the optimal amount had an 82% of occurrence of nausea and vomiting. Post-operative nausea and vomiting occurred in 59% of the population that received greater than optimal prophylaxis. Researchers speculate that the high incidence of nausea and vomiting occurs due to potential damage of the vagal nerve during the operation. The motility of the stomach and intestines is also affected by the surgery and narcotics that patients take after the operation. Halliday and colleagues concluded that other methods of nausea and vomiting prevention should be evaluated in this population.

Aromatherapy and essential oils are an alternative method to controlling post-operative nausea and vomiting after post-surgical intervention. Although it has not been frequently studied in bariatric patients, it has been studied post-operatively for other surgeries and for vomiting after chemotherapy. According to a systematic review in 2012, three studies regarding post-operative nausea and vomiting found reduction in symptoms after inhalation of essential oils. The studies also noted reduction in need for nausea medication, improved patient satisfaction, and reduction in cost. A review by Cochrane and colleagues showed no reliable evidence of the effectiveness of peppermint oil. Other studies found that either peppermint or ginger were effective in the reduction of post-operative nausea and vomiting. However the studies had relatively small sample sizes and were not usually randomized control trials.

From the research and current studies, post-operative nausea and vomiting is a common complaint after bariatric surgery. Nausea relief inhalers could improve post-operative nausea and vomiting without the need for further medications, subsequently reducing the chance of side effects. This study could help improve patient satisfaction and increase the ability of the patient to ambulate after surgery with the use of a nausea relief inhaler.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Mansfield, Texas, United States, 76063
        • Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 to 65 years old
  • Attend the pre-operative class
  • Must be able to read English
  • Admitted to B4 surgical acute unit
  • Surgery after May 31st, 2020

Exclusion Criteria:

  • BMI greater than 60
  • Pre-operatively on nausea medication
  • Allergy to spearmint, lemon, ginger, and/or cedarwood
  • History of Asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)
  • Patient intubated or sedated for the 24 hours after surgery

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Aromatherapy
Other: nausea relief inhaler
Aromatherapy and essential oils are an alternative method to controlling post-operative nausea and vomiting after post-surgical intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Medication Administration Record
Time Frame: "Up to 24 hours"
The amount of nausea and vomiting medication use will be determined by the medication administration record during chart review in the first 24 hours for each study patient.
"Up to 24 hours"

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rhodes index
Time Frame: "Up to 24 hours"
Indicators of decreased stress and increased contentment will be found by patient's answers to questions regarding distress from dry heaving and retching and nausea and vomiting.
"Up to 24 hours"
Length of stay
Time Frame: duration of hospital stay: date of discharge minus date of admittance)
Length of stay will be tracked via chart review (date of discharge minus date of admittance)
duration of hospital stay: date of discharge minus date of admittance)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Methodist Health System

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Ashley Attaway, RN, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 23, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 20, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 27, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 18, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 30, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 31, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 058.NUR.2020.M

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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