[Ultrasound assessment of gastric content in cesarean delivery patients: an observational study]

The aim of this observational study is to examine the benefit of ultrasound assessment of gastric content in cesarean delivery (CD) patients.

Thirty-nine patients scheduled for CD were assigned to a scheduled CD group and to an emergency group. Before CD, gastric ultrasonography examinations to calculate CSA (cross sectional area) of gastric antrum were performed to determine if gastric content was residual, and patients in the emergency group were asked what and when they had eaten. They were classified as full stomach when CSA was 2.5 cm2 or more and the sonographic characteristics of the antrum showed mixture with high echogenic particles.

Eight patients were assigned to a scheduled CD group and thirty-one patients to an emergency group, respectively. None of the scheduled CD group should be CSA of 2.5 cm2 or more and eight of the emergency group should be 2.5 cm2 or more, including 3 patients with or without labor showing residual gastric contents after more than 10 hours of ingestion.

There are some CD patients with the high risk of aspiration with or without labor even 10 hours after the last ingestion.