Gastric Volume and Antral Area in the Fasting State: A Meta-analysis of Individual Patient Data.

Background: Pulmonary aspiration of gastric content is a serious anesthetic complication. Gastric point-of-care ultrasound can determine the type and volume of gastric content when clinical information is equivocal. However, a cutoff value of either antral cross-sectional area or volume that may be considered as the upper limit of normal in fasting subjects is still controversial.

The correlation between patient satiety sensation and total gastric fluid volume: a prospective observational study.

Purpose: Surgical patients are asked to adhere to preoperative fasting guidelines to minimize gastric contents. Large fluid volumes or solid content can still be present as shown with gastric ultrasound. It has been suggested that additional rating of patients' satiety, measured as the feeling of hunger and thirst, could help clinicians to better judge emptying of the stomach.

Pruritus, neuraxial morphine and recrudescence of oral herpes simplex and treatment: an educational review in obstetric patients.

Neuraxial opioids are well known to cause itching, which may be challenging to treat. Neuraxial morphine has been demonstrated to cause recrudescent herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1), especially in women during labor and childbirth with neuraxial analgesia, and may be an occult etiology of refractory itching. This educational review summaries the clinical and epidemiological characteristics associated with recrudescent HSV-1 in patients treated with neuraxial opioids, especially morphine.

Gastric ultrasound for feeding intolerance in the ICU: close but not quite right.

In the January 2021 issue of BMC Gastroenterology, Elmokadem et al. report their findings on the use of gastric ultrasound (GUS) for the evaluation of feeding intolerance-defined as high gastric residual volume-in critically ill patients. We voice in this correspondence our concerns regarding certain methodological flaws and believe the study results should be interpreted with caution.

Spinal anesthesia in a patient on monoclonal antibody treatment: a poisoned chalice? A case report.

Background: Paraplegia is a rare complication of spinal anesthesia.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 68-year-old man who developed postoperative paraplegia and hypoesthesia after spinal anesthesia for an otherwise uncomplicated transurethral resection of the prostate. Acute transverse myelitis was diagnosed based on urgent MRI.

Ultrasound assessment of gastric volumes of thick fluids: Validating a prediction model.

Background: Enteral nutrition is essential in the treatment of critically ill patients. Current methods to monitor enteral nutrition such as aspiration of residual volume may be inaccurate. Gastric ultrasonography estimates total gastric fluid volume using the Perlas model, but this model is validated for clear fluids only, and its accuracy for measuring thick fluids is unknown.

Pectoral Nerve Block Type II as the Sole Anesthetic for Removal of a Large Axillary Tumor: A Case Report.

The pectoral nerve block type II (Pecs II block) combined with general anesthesia provides analgesia during breast and axillary surgery. This report describes the first use of the Pecs II block as the sole anesthetic for axillary surgery. A patient needed resection of axillary masses.

Point-of-care ultrasound in pregnancy: gastric, airway, neuraxial, cardiorespiratory.

Purpose Of Review: This review focuses on the use of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in the obstetric context for airway management and assessment of aspiration risk, the placement of neuraxial blocks and the diagnosis and follow-up of cardiorespiratory dysfunction.

Recent Findings: Gastric ultrasound is a useful aspiration risk assessment tool in pregnant patients. Total gastric fluid assessment models and specific cut-offs between high-risk and low-risk stomachs are presented.

The Obese Patient: Facts, Fables, and Best Practices.

The prevalence of obesity continues to rise worldwide, and anesthesiologists must be aware of current best practices in the perioperative management of the patient with obesity. Obesity alters anatomy and physiology, which complicates the evaluation and management of obese patients in the perioperative setting. Gastric point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is a noninvasive tool that can be used to assess aspiration risk in the obese patient by evaluating the quantity and quality of gastric contents.

Serial Gastric Ultrasound to Evaluate Gastric Emptying After Prokinetic Therapy With Domperidone and Erythromycin in a Surgical Patient With a Full Stomach: A Case Report.

Fasting guidelines are used to prevent perioperative aspiration but they are only reliable in healthy elective patients. Point-of-care gastric ultrasound allows qualitative and quantitative evaluation of gastric contents at the bedside. This case report describes the use of serial gastric point-of-care ultrasound to evaluate the effect of prokinetic therapy with domperidone and erythromycin in an elective surgical patient with multiple comorbidities who presented with a full stomach.

Point-of-care gastric ultrasound and aspiration risk assessment: a narrative review.

This narrative review summarizes the current knowledge on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of gastric contents in order to inform an assessment of aspiration risk and guide anesthetic management at the bedside. An I-AIM framework (Indication, Acquisition, Interpretation, and Medical decision-making) is used to summarize and organize the content areas. This narrative review spans the breadth of the literature on pediatric and adult subjects as well as on special patient populations such as obstetric and severely obese individuals.

Gastric ultrasound to guide anesthetic management in elective surgical patients non-compliant with fasting instructions: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Perioperative aspiration leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Standard fasting periods are used to ensure an empty stomach in patients. Anesthesiologists are frequently confronted with cases of dubious adherence to these guidelines.

Challenges in the anesthetic management of ambulatory patients in the MRI suites.

Purpose Of Review: MRI is becoming an indispensable diagnostic tool. The need for prolonged motion-free periods has substantially increased the need for deep sedation or anesthesia in a challenging environment. This review summarises recent literature with respect to pharmacological sedative strategies, nonpharmacological alternative approaches, airway management and safety issues in the ambulatory setting.

Gastric sonography in the severely obese surgical patient: a feasibility study.

Background: Gastric ultrasonography allows qualitative and quantitative assessment of gastric contents and volume in nonobese subjects. In this study, we sought to determine the feasibility of gastric ultrasound in severely obese patients (body mass index [BMI] ≥35 kg/m). We defined feasibility as the ability to identify a full cross section of the gastric antrum in at least 80% of subjects when imaged in the right lateral decubitus position.