Practice Guidelines for Preoperative Fasting and the Use of Pharmacologic Agents to Reduce the Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration: Application to Healthy Patients Undergoing Elective Procedures: An Updated Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Standards and Practice Parameters

Abstract

PRACTICE Guidelines are systematically developed recommendations that assist the practitioner and patient in making decisions about health care. These recommendations may be adopted, modified, or rejected according to clinical needs and constraints and are not intended to replace local institutional policies. In addition, Practice Guidelines developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) are not intended as standards or absolute requirements, and their use cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Practice Guidelines are subject to revision as warranted by the evolution of medical knowledge, technology, and practice. They provide basic recommendations that are supported by a synthesis and analysis of the current literature, expert and practitioner opinion, open forum commentary, and clinical feasibility data.This update includes data published since the Practice Guidelines for Preoperative Fasting and the Use of Pharmacologic Agents to Reduce the Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration were adopted by the ASA in 1998 and published in 1999.*For these Guidelines, preoperative fasting is defined as a prescribed period of time before a procedure when patients are not allowed the oral intake of liquids or solids. Perioperative pulmonary aspiration is defined as aspiration of gastric contents occurring after induction of anesthesia, during a procedure, or in the immediate period after surgery.The purposes of these Guidelines are to (1) enhance the quality and efficiency of anesthesia care, (2) stimulate evaluation of clinical practices, and (3) reduce the severity of complications related to perioperative pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents.Enhancements in the quality and efficiency of anesthesia care include, but are not limited to, the cost-effective use of perioperative preventive medication, increased patient satisfaction, avoidance of delays and cancellations, decreased risk of dehydration or hypoglycemia from prolonged fasting, and the minimization of perioperative morbidity.Clinical practices include, but are not limited to, withholding solids and liquids for specified time periods before surgery, and prescribing pharmacologic agents to reduce gastric volume and acidity.Complications of aspiration include, but are not limited to, aspiration pneumonia, respiratory disabilities, and related morbidities.These Guidelines focus on preoperative fasting recommendations, as well as recommendations regarding the administration of pharmacologic agents to modify the volume and acidity of gastric contents during procedures in which upper airway protective reflexes may be impaired. Prevention of perioperative pulmonary aspiration is part of the larger process of preoperative evaluation and preparation of the patient.Airway management techniques that are intended to reduce the occurrence of pulmonary aspiration are not the focus of these Guidelines. For example, a rapid-sequence induction/tracheal intubation technique or an awake tracheal intubation technique may be useful to prevent this problem during the delivery of anesthesia care. In addition, these Guidelines do not address the selection of anesthetic technique.The intended patient population for these Guidelines is limited to healthy patients of all ages undergoing elective procedures. These Guidelines do not apply to patients who undergo procedures with no anesthesia or only local anesthesia when upper airway protective reflexes are not impaired, and when no risk factors for pulmonary aspiration are apparent. These Guidelines are also not intended for women in labor.These Guidelines may not apply to, or may need to be modified for (1) patients with coexisting diseases or conditions that can affect gastric emptying or fluid volume (e.g. , pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, hiatal hernia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, ileus or bowel obstruction, emergency care, enteral tube feeding) and (2) patients in whom airway management might be difficult. Anesthesiologists and other anesthesia providers should recognize that these conditions can increase the likelihood of regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration. Additional or alternative preventive strategies may be appropriate for such patients.These Guidelines are intended for use by anesthesiologists and other anesthesia providers. They also may serve as a resource for other health care professionals who advise or care for patients who receive anesthesia care during procedures. Anesthesia care during procedures refers to general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, or sedation/analgesia (i.e. , monitored anesthesia care). Throughout these Guidelines, preoperative should be considered synonymous with preprocedural, as the latter term is often used to describe procedures that are not considered operations.The original Guidelines were developed by a Task Force of 10 members, including anesthesiologists in both private and academic practice from various geographic areas of North America, and a consulting methodologist from the