Biomaterial Database

Effects of duration of fasting on gastric fluid pH and volume in healthy children. 1990

M Crawford, and J Lerman, and S Christensen, and A Farrow-Gillespie

Department of Anaesthesia, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

To determine the effects of duration of fasting before elective surgery on gastric fluid pH and volume in children, a prospective, randomized, blinded study of 100 unpremedicated children, aged 1-14 yr, was undertaken. Each child was given 2 mL/kg of water orally and then fasted 2, 4, or 6 h preoperatively. After induction of anesthesia and tracheal intubation, gastric fluid was aspirated through a large-bore, multiorifice orogastric tube. Gastric fluid pH was measured using a calibrated PHM62 radiometer. Gastric fluid volume was the total volume of fluid aspirated from the stomach. The duration of fasting was between 2.0 and 8.5 h. We found that neither gastric fluid pH nor gastric fluid volume correlated with the duration of fasting. The mean (+/- SD) gastric fluid pH was 1.80 +/- 0.79 and the mean (+/- SD) gastric fluid volume was 0.56 +/- 0.39 mL/kg. Gastric fluid pH was less than 2.5 and volume greater than 0.4 mL/kg in 53% of children. We conclude that healthy children may receive 2 mL/kg of water up to 2 h before elective surgery without decreasing gastric fluid pH or increasing gastric fluid volume beyond values obtained after fasting for 6 h.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D011300	Preoperative Care	Care given during the period prior to undergoing surgery when psychological and physical preparations are made according to the special needs of the individual patient. This period spans the time between admission to the hospital to the time the surgery begins. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)	Care, Preoperative,Preoperative Procedure,Preoperative Procedures,Procedure, Preoperative,Procedures, Preoperative
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005215	Fasting	Abstaining from FOOD.	Hunger Strike,Hunger Strikes,Strike, Hunger,Strikes, Hunger
D005750	Gastric Juice	The liquid secretion of the stomach mucosa consisting of hydrochloric acid (GASTRIC ACID); PEPSINOGENS; INTRINSIC FACTOR; GASTRIN; MUCUS; and the bicarbonate ion (BICARBONATES). (From Best & Taylor's Physiological Basis of Medical Practice, 12th ed, p651)	Gastric Juices,Juice, Gastric,Juices, Gastric
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006863	Hydrogen-Ion Concentration	The normality of a solution with respect to HYDROGEN ions; H+. It is related to acidity measurements in most cases by pH	pH,Concentration, Hydrogen-Ion,Concentrations, Hydrogen-Ion,Hydrogen Ion Concentration,Hydrogen-Ion Concentrations
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths