Vomiting

Not to be confused with Regurgitation (digestion).
"Vomit", "Emesis", "Heaving", "Puke", and "Throw up" redirect here. For other uses, see Vomit (disambiguation). For the butterfly genus, see Emesis (genus). For the 2021 Argentine film, see PussyCake. For the sailing terms, see Heaving to and Careening. For the municipality of Albania, see Pukë. For the style of graffiti, see Throw up (graffiti). For other uses, see Puke (disambiguation).

Vomiting
Other namesEmesis, throwing up, puking, barfing, spewing, upchucking, heaving, hurling, ralphing, being sick
A Renaissance drawing with vivid colours depicting a woman holding the head of a man, who is bent over and expelling a brownish-red material from his mouth. A second woman stands at the left of the image in the doorway to the room, and appears to offer support. A crude representation of vomiting.
14th-century illustration of vomiting from the Casanatense Tacuinum Sanitatis
SpecialtyGastroenterology
SymptomsNausea
ComplicationsAspiration, electrolyte and water loss, damage to the enamel of the teeth, tear of the esophageal mucosa
Risk factorsHistory of migraine, history of PONV or motion sickness in a child's parent or sibling, better ASA physical status, intense preoperative anxiety, certain ethnicities or surgery types, decreased perioperative fluids, crystalloid versus colloid administration

Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up)[a] is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose.[1]

Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pregnancy, motion sickness, or hangover; or it can be an after effect of diseases such as brain tumors, elevated intracranial pressure, or overexposure to ionizing radiation.[2] The feeling that one is about to vomit is called nausea; it often precedes, but does not always lead to vomiting. Impairment due to alcohol or anesthesia can cause inhalation of vomit. In severe cases, where dehydration develops, intravenous fluid may be required. Antiemetics are sometimes necessary to suppress nausea and vomiting. Self-induced vomiting can be a component of an eating disorder such as bulimia, and is itself now classified as an eating disorder on its own, purging disorder.


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  1. ^ Tintinalli, Judith E. (2010). Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (Emergency Medicine (Tintinalli)). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. p. 830. ISBN 978-0-07-148480-0.
  2. ^ Hauser, Joshua M.; Azzam, Joseph S.; Kasi, Anup (2022-09-26). "Antiemetic Medications". StatPearls Publishing. PMID 30335336. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-07-12.