Is fasting necessary for elective cerebral angiography?

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Interventional Neurology
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Cerebral angiography is often performed with patients fasting to prevent aspiration pneumonia.
• The necessity of pre-procedural fasting for elective cerebral angiography has been questioned.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the necessity of fasting before elective cerebral angiography.
• To determine if fasting impacts adverse events like nausea, vomiting, or pulmonary aspiration.

Main Methods:

• An open-labeled clinical trial involving 2554 patients undergoing elective cerebral angiography.
• Patients chose between fasting or non-fasting options after receiving counseling.
• Adverse events including nausea, vomiting, and pulmonary aspiration were monitored for 24 hours post-procedure.

Main Results:

• The incidence of nausea and vomiting was low at 1.05% (27/2554 patients).
• No cases of pulmonary aspiration were reported in either the fasting or non-fasting groups.
• No statistically significant difference in nausea or vomiting rates was observed between the fasting and non-fasting groups.

Conclusions:

• Nausea and vomiting associated with cerebral angiography occur infrequently and are not influenced by pre-procedural diet.
• Pulmonary aspiration risk is comparable between fasting and non-fasting patients.
• Elective cerebral angiography may not require pre-procedural fasting, potentially improving patient comfort and adherence.