Evaluation of the Effect of Preoperative Carbohydrate-Rich Fluid Administration on Gastric Volume With Ultrasound in Pediatric Patients
Merve Çetindağ, Neslihan GOKTURK, Handan Birbiçer
Background: Preoperative fasting strategies in pediatric patients aim to avoid the negative situations
that will be caused by long fasting periods and to prevent the complications that will be caused by
inappropriate fasting periods.
The gastric emptying time of clear liquids is mainly determined by the caloric content and volume. This
study aimed to investigate whether the gastric emptying time of apple juice is shorter than that of water
due to its caloric content by gastric ultrasonography.
Method: A total of 70 pediatric patients who were planned for elective surgery by pediatric surgery,
who met the inclusion criteria and whose ages ranged from 4 to 18 were included in the study. The
patients were randomly divided into two groups. The water group (n=35) and the apple juice group
(n=35) were given 5 ml kg-1 water and apple juice orally 2 hours before the surgical operation. Gastric
volume measurements were performed on the patients by ultrasonography after a 6-hour fast (baseline
value), 1 hour and 2 hours after drinking water or apple juice.
Results: Water and apple juice were not superior to each other in reducing residual gastric volume after
1 or 2 hours according to the basal volume value in measurements made in both supine and right lateral
dekubitis positions. In RLD position measurements, we showed that giving 5ml kg-1 carbohydrate-rich
fluid preoperatively reduced residual gastric volume at the 2nd hour.
Conclusion: Water and apple juice were not superior to each other in reducing the residual gastric
volume after 1 or 2 hours in measurements according to the basal volume value.
