Should children undergo surgery without a long period of fasting after feeding?

A research article to be published on October 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. A group from Turkey investigated whether children should undergo surgery without a long period of fasting after feeding. The routine use of perioperative oral dietary supplements in patients about to undergo gastrointestinal surgery confers no clinical or functional benefit. This routine is now being questioned, because fasting causes discomfort and unnecessary problems with routine oral medication.

In this study, blood glucose levels increased and stomach residue liquids were at a tolerable level in all patients fed NLF and an HCD. The results indicated that children can tolerate the stress of surgery when they are fed until 2 h before surgery, because there was no difference regarding stomach residue and metabolic changes among patients that underwent surgery after fasting for short and long periods.

These results demonstrate that the stress of surgery may be tolerated by children by feeding up to 2 h before elective surgery. The authors believe that there is no need for more than 2 h of fasting before inguinoscrotal region surgery.