Nausea and Vomiting at End Of

Nausea and vomiting affect 40-70% of patients with advanced disease and significantly reduce quality of life. The vomiting center in the medulla receives input from four main pathways: the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) in the area postrema (stimulated by medications, metabolic toxins, uremia), the vestibular system (motion, position changes), the GI tract via vagal afferents (gastric stasis, bowel obstruction, constipation), and higher cortical centers (anxiety, anticipatory nausea, raised intracranial pressure). Effective anti-emetic therapy targets the specific pathway causing nausea: dopamine antagonists (haloperidol, metoclopramide) for CTZ-mediated nausea from opioids or metabolic causes; anticholinergics (scopolamine) for vestibular-mediated nausea; prokinetics (metoclopramide) for gastric stasis; serotonin antagonists (ondansetron) for chemotherapy or GI-mediated nausea; and dexamethasone for raised intracranial pressure or bowel obstruction. Identifying the most likely emetic pathway guides rational anti-emetic selection rather than empiric trial-and-error.