Using gastric ultrasound to assess gastric content in the pregnant patient

Abstract

Perioperative pulmonary aspiration of gastric content can lead to prolonged tracheal intubation, hospitalisation, aspiration pneumonitis and pneumonia.1 Unfortunately, the risk of aspiration is often estimated by fasting time, not accounting for comorbidities that affect gastric emptying, such as labour. Bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of gastric content is a validated tool that allows the anaesthetist to assess the qualitative and quantitative content of the stomach.2 This technique has been used and validated in pregnant women to define the cut-off values for the risk of aspiration.