Background: In Mexico, guidelines for fasting periods, or any audits on this topic are unavailable, and therefore the attitudes of anesthesiologists for recommending preoperative fasting periods are unknown. Material and methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey of anesthesiologists subscribed to the Annual Updated Course, organized by the Sociedad Mexicana de Anestesiologia in 2000. The response rate was 31.4%. Results: Most respondents were general anesthesiologists, with 5 or more years experience in a clinical post, were working in both public and private hospitals, and were performing anesthetic procedures on both pediatric and adult patients and in both ambulatory and hospitalized patients. Approximately 23% of the respondents considered natural fruit juices to be clear liquids. For a pediatric patient ingesting breast milk 1 h before undergoing a surgical procedure, 45% thought that surgery should be delayed for 3h, followed by those delaying the surgical procedure for 6 to 8 h. Our results show that more than 50% of the anesthesiologists had better defined attitudes for fasting milk and clear liquids in patients of 6 month or under than for older children and adults. However, due to the poor definition or pre-operative fasting, using clear liquids, in all other patient groups, several patients are allowed to go without oral clear liquids administration for prolonged periods. Conclusion: Preoperative fasting periods recommended by Mexican anesthesiologists differ from international guidelines. © 2002 Ramirez-Mora et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Ramírez-Mora, J. C., Moyao-García, D., & Nava-Ocampo, A. A. (2002). Attitudes of Mexican anesthesiologists to indicate preoperative fasting periods: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Anesthesiology, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2253-2-3
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