Point-of-care ultrasound evaluation of nil per oral status in paediatric patients aged 1–5 years posted for elective surgeries: A cross-sectional study

Background

Preoperative fasting is advised to reduce gastric content and aspiration risk during anaesthesia. Fastingduration alone may not reliably indicate actual gastric status. Gastric point-of-care ultrasound can provide bedsideassessment of gastric volume and nature of content. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational studyincluded 80 children aged one to five years posted for elective surgery. Gastric POCUS was performed before induction ofanaesthesia. Gastric volume was calculated from the antral cross-sectional area and expressed in mL/kg. Gastric content wasrecorded as nil, liquid or solid. Clinical hydration status was assessed using general appearance, mucous membrane,capillary refill time and skin turgor.