[Preanesthetic meals in elective surgical patients]

This study investigated the effect of preanesthetic meals on the volume and pH of gastric contents in forty elective surgical patients ranging in ages from 20 to 60 years. Twenty patients who were given either isotonic beverage 250 ml or apple juice 250 ml on the morning of the operative day were subjected as control group and twenty patients of the breakfast group took two slices of bread with the above drink. About seven hours following drinking and feeding, the mean values of gastric volume were 20.9 +/- 18.3 ml in the control group and 19.2 +/- 16.3 ml in the breakfast group. The mean values of gastric pH were 4.3 +/- 2.3 in the drink group and 4.6 +/- 2.3 in the breakfast group. There were no significant differences in the gastric volume and pH between the two groups. However, very small amount of the bread was detected in the gastric fluid of three patients in the breakfast group. As preanesthetic drinking and feeding are advantageous for reducing the anxieties of preoperative patients and also for their nutrition during operation, it is encouraging that eating two slices of bread did not induce a significant effect of gastric volume or pH. The minute fragment of bread seems to have no clinically significant effect.