Summary
We measured the volume and pH of the gastric content of 21 out-patients and 21 in-patients under general anaesthesia. Gastric tubes were inserted after induction of anaesthesia, and gastric fluids were withdrawn for pH determinations. Gastric volumes were measured by a dilution technique using polyethylene glycol as the indicator and also by measurement of the volume aspirated through agastric tube. Out-patients had a mean gastric volume of 69 ± 17 ml while inpatients had a mean volume of 33 ± 4 ml. The average gastric pH for the out-patients was 1.8 ± 0.2 and for the in-patients 2.0 ± 0.3. Four outpatients had more than 75 ml of gastric fluid of pH less than 2.0. Aspiration through a gastric tube did not empty the stomach completely and the volume thus obtained gave a falsely low estimate of the gastric volume.
Résumé
Nous avons déterminé le pH et le volume du liquide gastrique chez 21 malades hospitalisés, opérés sous anesthésie générale, et chez 21 autres patients ambulatoires, soumis à une anesthésie générale pour chirurgie. A cet effet, nous avons mis en place une sonde nasogastrique avant ľinduction de ľanesthésie et avons prélevé du liquide gastrique pour en déterminer le pH. Nous avons également fait la mesure du volume liquidien gastrique au moyen ďune technique de dilution, le polyéthylène glycol servant ďindicateur, ainsi que par la mesure directe du volume total que nous pouvions aspirer.
Les malades ambulatoires avaient un volume moyen de 69 ± 17 ml, alors que les patients hospitalisés avaient un volume de 33 ± 4 ml. Le pH du liquide gastrique des malades non hospitalisés était de 1.8 ± 0.2, alors qu’il était de 2.0 ± 0.3 chez les malades hospitalisés. Quatre des patients ambulatoires avaient plus de 75 ml de liquide dans ľestomac et à un pH de moins de 2.0. La succion appliquée à la sonde naso-gastrique ne permettait pas de vider complètement ľestomac et les volumes ainsi obtenus donnaient des résultats inférieurs à la réalité.
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Ong, B.Y., Palahniuk, R.J. & Cumming, M. Gastric volume and pH in out-patients. Canad. Anaesth. Soc. J. 25, 36–39 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006781
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006781