Anesthesiology
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Editorial Comment
Ultrasound Evaluation of Gastric Emptying Time in Healthy Term Neonates after Formula Feeding.
The current American Society of Anesthesiologists fasting guideline for formula-fed infants in the periprocedural setting is 6 h. Prolonged fasting in very young infants is associated with an increased risk for hypoglycemia and dehydration as well as patient discomfort and patient/parental dissatisfaction. This study aimed to determine the time to gastric emptying in healthy neonates after formula feeding by serially evaluating the gastric antrum with ultrasound. The authors hypothesized that gastric emptying times in formula-fed neonates are significantly shorter than the current 6 h fasting recommendation. ⋯ These results demonstrate that gastric emptying times are substantially less than the current fasting guideline of 6 h for formula-fed, healthy term neonates.