Abstract

DE LA PARTE PEREZ, Lincoln. El ayuno preanestésico. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2002, vol.74, n.3, pp.240-246. ISSN 0034-7531.

The bronchoaspiration of the stomach content is one of the highest risks the patients who are going to be anesthetize have to run. Anesthesia presdisposes the aspiration of the gastric content due to its depressive effect on the protective reflexes. When the patient loses his consciousness, he may regurgitate the gastric content through the esophagus and then it may go to the lungs and produce inflammation, which is frequently severe and may be fatal in many occassions if the gastric content is very acid. A quantity so small as 30 cc may provoke a considerable injury. In spite of the fact that most of the personnel working in the surgical specialities know this, a great number of patients scheduled to be operated on with anesthesia may still have a bronchoaspiration for various reasons. The different factors taking part in the development of bronchoaspiration, as well as the methods available to prevent it, are analyzed in this article. Special emphasis is made on the value of preoperative fasting and on the measures to increase the stomach pH as essential steps.

Keywords : FASTING; ASPIRATION; ANESTHESIA; PREOPERATIVE CARE.

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