Skip to main content

No Link Found for Preprocedural Fasting and Witnessed Pulmonary Aspiration

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 2, 2025.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, July 2, 2025 -- For patients undergoing surgical procedures, there is no association between liberal preprocedural fasting policies and witnessed aspiration, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the August issue of Surgery.

Stephanie Lam, D.O., from the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles, and colleagues reviewed randomized clinical trials comparing outcomes from preprocedural fasting regimens and observational studies of witnessed aspiration events. Clinical aspiration was the main primary outcome. Seventeen studies were included in the analyses, nine of which reported outcomes for aspiration events.

The researchers found that the various preprocedural fasting regimens did not affect clinical aspiration, with an odds ratio for aspiration events of 1.17 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.32 to 4.23). Aspiration occurred rarely (four of 801 patients in experimental groups and seven of 990 patients in control groups [incidence, 0.50 and 0.71 percent, respectively]). There was little likelihood of finding a significant effect of new fasting regimens on aspiration. The surrogate outcomes of gastric volume and/or pH for aspiration were not associated with human anesthesia-related aspiration.

"Fasting for long periods of time is extremely uncomfortable and patients really don't like to do it," senior author Edward H. Livingston, M.D., also from the UCLA School of Medicine, said in a statement. "Our research suggests that long periods of fasting may not be necessary."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Remote Perioperative Telemonitoring Beneficial After Cancer Surgery

THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 -- Remote perioperative telemonitoring (RPM) improves postoperative functional recovery and symptoms among patients undergoing surgery for cancer...

Shunt Surgery Beneficial in Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus

TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 -- Shunt surgery significantly improves gait velocity at three months among patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus with a response to...

Photorefractive Keratectomy Safe, Effective for Teenagers

TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2025 -- Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is safe and effective for teenagers, with visual outcomes comparable to or slightly better than in adults, according...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.