POST-OPERATIVE PATIENTS; INFLUENCE OF POLYMORPHISMS IN THE DRUG TARGET GENE ON ANTIEMETIC EFFICACY OF ONDANSETRON IN POST-OPERATIVE PATIENTS.

Objective: To explore the effect of genetic polymorphism -100_-102AAG deletion in the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3B (5-HT3B) gene on the incidence of post-operative vomiting (POV). Study Design: A prospective, clinical trial. Place and Duration of study: Clinical data collection and blood sampling was carried out at Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. Genetic analysis was carried out at Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering, Islamabad from 01 Aug 2012 to 22 Sep 2013. Methods: This study included two hundred and sixty patients planned for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 4 mg ondansetron was administered intravenously thirty minutes before the end of surgery. A total of 140 patients with the complaints of vomiting and 120 patients without vomiting were analyzed for -100_-102delAAG deletion polymorphism with the help of direct sequencing method. Results: A significant association was found between the incidence of vomiting and the -100_-102AAG insertion/deletion polymorphism of the 5-HT3B gene at 2 hours after surgery. Conclusion: The -100_-102AAG deletion variant of the 5-HT3B gene may affect POV and predict the responsiveness to ondansetron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]