Pre-operative fasting: a nationwide survey of German anaesthesia departments.
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand
; 54(3): 313-20, 2010 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19764905
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Shorter pre-operative fasting improves clinical outcome without an increased risk. Since October 2004, German Anaesthesiology Societies have officially recommended a fast of 2 h for clear fluids and 6 h for solid food before elective surgery. We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate the current clinical practice in Germany.METHODS:
Between July 2006 and January 2007, standardized questionnaires were mailed to 3751 Anaesthesiology Society members in leading positions requesting anonymous response.RESULTS:
The overall response rate was 66% (n=2418). Of those, 2148 (92%) claimed familiarity with the new guidelines. About a third (n=806, 34%) reported full adherence to the new recommendations, whereas 1043 (45%) reported an eased fasting practice. Traditional Nil per os after midnight was still recommended by 157 (7%). Commonest reasons reported for adopting the new guidelines were 'improved pre-operative comfort' (84%), and 'increased patient satisfaction' (83%); reasons against were 'low flexibility in operation room management' (19%), and 'increased risk of aspiration' (13%).CONCLUSION:
Despite the apparent understanding of the benefits from reduced pre-operative fasting, full implementation of the guidelines remains poor in German anaesthesiology departments.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Preoperative Care
/
Fasting
/
Respiratory Aspiration
/
Anesthesia
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand
Year:
2010
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Alemania