Classification of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) Severity Based on Apfel and Koivuranta Scores in Patients Undergoing Spinal Anesthesia at Cilacap Regional General Hospital: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Spinal anesthesia is a widely used regional anesthetic technique in surgical procedures; however, it may cause postoperative complications, particularly Post Operative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV). PONV is a common complication that affects patient comfort, prolongs recovery room stay, and increases healthcare costs. Various predictive scoring systems have been developed to anticipate PONV risk, including the Apfel score and the Koivuranta score. To describe the classification of the degree of PONV incidence using the Apfel and Koivuranta score predictors in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia at RSUD Cilacap This was a descriptive quantitative study with a cross-sectional design and consecutive sampling technique. A total of 132 patients were included as respondents. The majority of respondents were in the elderly age group (>65 years), accounting for 36 patients (27.1%), and were predominantly male with 81 patients (61.4%). The classification of PONV degree based on the Apfel score showed the highest proportion in the severe category with 50 patients (37.9%), while based on the Koivuranta score, the highest proportion was in the moderate category with 86 patients (65.2%). PONV incidence based on VAS showed the highest degree was mild with 80 patients (60.6%). These findings emphasize the importance of routinely applying PONV prediction scores in the perioperative management of spinal anesthesia patients to improve the quality of postoperative recovery