Work

Gastric ultrasound reveals no association between prolonged fasting duration and gastric residual volume in pediatric patients

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Prolonged preoperative fasting is common in pediatric anesthesia, yet its effect on gastric residual volume (GRV) remains inadequately explored. We conducted a prospective observational cross-sectional study to examine the association between prolonged fasting duration and GRV measured using point-of-care gastric ultrasonography. A total of 491 children aged 1–12 years scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia after fasting more than 8 hours were included. GRV was measured using point-of-care gastric ultrasonography and calculated using a validated formula, then normalized to body weight. The primary outcome was the association between fasting duration and weight-adjusted GRV (GRV/WT). Among the participants (median age 89 months; 308 boys), fifteen patients (3.05%) had a full stomach (GRV/WT > 1.25 mL·kg⁻¹) and 29 (5.91%) showed high-risk gastric antrum morphology. Prolonged fasting duration was not associated with GRV/WT. GRV/WT correlated positively with age and negatively with body mass index. These findings suggest that prolonged preoperative fasting does not reliably reduce GRV in pediatric patients.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-57602-2