• Pieter Odendaal, Annemie Burke, and Johan Coetzee.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, University of Stellenbosch, Parow, South Africa.
• Paediatr Anaesth. 2022 Sep 1; 32 (9): 1031-1037.

BackgroundPreoperative fasting is part of routine practice. Children subjected to prolonged preoperative fasting often suffer adverse effects. Consuming a preoperative lollipop may lessen their anxiety and have clinical benefits.AimsTo assess the effect of consuming a lollipop on gastric volume and the feasibility of administering a lollipop to a child preoperatively.MethodsIn this prospective, repeated measures interventional study, we measured gastric antrum volume using ultrasound in children aged 2-18 years. We measured antrum volumes after participants had fasted for a minimum of 6 h for solids and 2 h for clear fluids. They then consumed a standard carbohydrate lollipop, and we repeated the antrum volume measurements after 1 h.ResultsOf the 38 patients enrolled, 32 completed the study; four had ingested additional food or liquid, and two were diagnosed with systemic disease the day after data collection. The gastric volume data were normally distributed. The mean volume change was 0.01 ml kg-1 (95% CI -0.02 to 0.05; p = .460). The mean postlollipop volume was 0.51 ml kg-1 (95% CI 0.43 to 0.58).ConclusionsConsuming a standard lollipop did not affect the gastric volume of fasted pediatric patients.© 2022 The Authors. Pediatric Anesthesia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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