Safety and benefit of pre-operative oral carbohydrate in infants: a multi-center study in China.

Abstract

Pre-operative oral carbohydrate administration (POCA) is an important aspect of enhanced recovery after surgery and has many advantages. The objective of this study was to explore the safety and effect of pre-operative oral carbohydrate administration in infants. This was a prospective, multi-center, randomized study that randomly assigned 1200 infants into four groups. In the control group (group A), the infants were strictly restricted to 6-h preoperative fasting before anesthesia. In the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) groups (groups B, C, and D), the infants were orally administered a 10% carbohydrate solution (10% glucose water; 5, 10, and 15 mL/kg, respectively) 2 h before anesthesia. Blood glucose, gastric residual volumes, crying ratios, and the length of hospital stay were observed. The blood glucose was significantly higher in groups B, C, and D than group A at the time of anesthesia. The gastric residual volume revealed virtually no residue in groups A, B, and C, but 15 infants in group D had a gastric residual volume. The crying ratio was significantly higher in group A. The length of hospital stay was not significantly different between the groups. POCA is well-tolerated in infants at a dose of 10 mL/kg.