Effect of Prolonged Preoperative Fasting on Intraoperative Glycaemia in Pediatric Surgery at the Essos-Cameroun Hospital Center (Cameroon)

Author(s): Nga Nomo S, Kuitchet Aristide, Iroume C, Djomo Tamchom D, Jemea B, Binam F, Ze Minkande J.

Background: Preoperative fasting is defined as any oral deprivation of food and fluids prior to surgery [1]. In children, prolonged preoperative fasting can lead to significant metabolic complications [2,3]. The general objective of our study was to determine the effects of prolonged preoperative fasting on intraoperative glycaemia in children under 5 years of age at the Essos-Yaoundé hospital center. Patients and methods: This was a prospective, quantitative, descriptive study. It took place over a period of 7 months in the anesthesiology department of the Essos hospital center. All children under the age of 5, operated on during the survey period, were included. Results: During the survey period, 40 patients met our inclusion criteria. The median age was 33 months, the sex ratio was 3.3 in favor of the male gender. The most common surgical procedure was tonsilectomy (52.2%). Solid food represented the last meal in 82.5% of cases. The mean duration of the preoperative fast was 698 minutes. Preoperative fasting was prolonged in 97.5% of participants. A proportion of 30% of the study population presented with hypoglycaemia at installation on the operating table. In the group of patients who observed a prolonged fast, hypoglycaemia was present in 96.4% of cases at installation on the operating table with a nonsignificant p value (p=0.51). Conclusion: Compliance with the recommendations of good clinical practice concerning preoperative fasting in children could contribute to improving anesthetic safety