Evaluation of gastric contents using ultrasound in full-term pregnant women fasted for 8 h: a prospective observational study

BackgroundWe aimed to evaluate the gastric volume and contents after an 8-h fasting period in full-term, non-laboring, pregnant women following a standardized meal.MethodsIn this prospective observational study, we included full-term pregnant women scheduled for elective cesarean delivery. The participants were instructed to fast after a standardized meal (apple juice, bread, and cheese). Participants were scanned in the semi-recumbent and right-lateral positions 8 h after the standardized meal. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with gastric volume > 1.5 mL kg−1 calculated by two equations. Secondary outcomes included the antral cross-sectional area and gastric volume. Data are expressed as frequency (%, 95% confidence interval [CI]), mean ± standard deviation (95% CI of the mean), or median (quartiles) as appropriate.ResultsForty-one women were available for the final analysis. For the primary outcome, one participant (2.4%, 95% CI of 0.06 to 12.8%) had gastric volume > 1.5 mL kg−1, and none had solids in the antrum. For the secondary outcomes, the mean (95% CI of the mean) of the antral cross-sectional area was 2.11 ± 0.72 (1.88 to 2.34) cm2 and 4.08 ± 1.80 (3.51 to 4.65) cm2 during the semi-recumbent and right-lateral position, respectively. The median (quartiles) gastric volume was 0.53 (0.32, 0.66) mL kg−1 and 0.33 (0.13, 0.52) mL kg−1 as estimated by Perlas et al. and Roukhomovsky et al. equations, respectively.ConclusionAfter 8-h fasting following a standardized meal, full-term pregnant non-laboring women are less likely to have a high residual gastric volume.