Women With Advanced Maternal Age Have Gastric Volume Similar to That of Nonpregnant Women: A Prospective Pilot Study Using Preoperative Gastric Ultrasound

• Published in: Obstetric anesthesia digest Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 68 - 69
• Main Authors: Yuan, X., Zhou, R.H., Liu, H.L., Ye, L., Luo, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-06-2022
• ISSN: 0275-665X
• DOI: 10.1097/01.aoa.0000827832.59013.53

( J Clin Anesth . 2021;72:110270) Contrary to conventional wisdom, previous studies have established the similarity of the gastric volume (GV) of women with full-term pregnancies to that of nonpregnant women. This finding is relevant to assessing the risk threshold for receiving anesthesia based on preoperative ultrasound determination of the quantity of gastric contents. Cut-off values for measurements of the antral cross-sectional area (CSA) indicate reliably if the stomach contents are too great for safe anesthesia administration. Incidence of advanced maternal age (AMA) pregnancy is also increasing, and with it the caseload of elective cesarean deliveries (CD) in the world-wide AMA population. Although it is not fully understood why, AMA pregnant women have lower GV than their younger counterparts. Further investigation is merited to assess the necessity of longer preoperative fasting times in AMA women undergoing CD. This study compares GV in nonpregnant women to women with AMA pregnancy to determine if there is elevated risk of aspiration as assessed by gastric ultrasound.