Risk factors for chemotherapy-induced vomiting after general anesthesia in children with retinoblastoma: a retrospective study

Background: The chemotherapy-induced vomiting (CIV) severely affects the daily function, nutritional status, treatment compliance, therapeutic efficacy, curability, and the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to find the risk factors for CIV after general anesthesia in patients with retinoblastoma (RB). Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital records of children with RB, who underwent chemotherapy between January 2017 and December 2019, was conducted at our hospital. Results: Data of a total of 803 children with RB were reviewed. The incidence of CIV in children with RB was 19.30%. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences in age, height, weight, chemotherapy regimen, anesthesia dose, duration of surgery and general anesthesia, platelet count, platelet distribution width, lymphocytes, and indirect bilirubin between patients with and without vomiting (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the main predictors of CIV in children with RB included older age [odds ratio (OR), 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.56; P<0.01], low platelet count (OR, 0.997; 95% CI: 0.995-0.999; P<0.05), and chemotherapy regimen (intravenous chemotherapy versus intra-arterial chemotherapy; OR, 0.47; 95% CI: 0.29-0.76; P<0.01). Conclusions: This study revealed age, chemotherapy regimen, and platelet count as risk factors of CIV after general anesthesia in children with RB. Younger age and higher platelet count were protective factors for CIV. Compared with intravenous chemotherapy, the incidence of CIV was lower than that of intra-arterial chemotherapy. Although these factors cannot be modified, they can predict whether a patient may experience vomiting, assisting medical staff to formulate measures and intervenes in advance.