Metoclopramide given pre-operatively empties the stomach

Sixty adult patients admitted for emergency major orthopedic surgery were studied according to a double-blind, randomized design in order to evaluate if a single dose of 20 mg metoclopramide given intravenously at least 90 min before premedication could evacuate the stomach before anesthesia. Three patients were excluded. X-ray examination following intake of barium sulfate before anesthesia showed 10 patients with a full stomach, all belonging to the placebo group. This study demonstrates significantly fewer (P less than 0.002) patients with a full stomach before anesthesia after metoclopramide, indicating that administration of metoclopramide reduces the risk of aspiration of gastric contents to the lungs during anesthesia.