[Comparative effects of diazepam, ranitidine , sodium citrate and enprostil on pH and gastric volume in preanesthetic medication].

A study was designed to assess the efficacy of oral premedication with diazepam or enprostil in preventing the gastric aspiration syndrome in fasted patients scheduled for elective surgery, and to compare the results with those obtained with ranitidine and sodium citrate. The study included 120 consecutive patients undergoing urological or plastic surgery, randomly assigned to four groups of 30. Two hours before anaesthesia, the patients from three groups were given, with 30 ml of water, either 10 mg diazepam, or 150 mg ranitidine, or 35 micrograms enprostil. Those in the fourth group were given 30 ml of 0.5 M sodium citrate, ten minutes before induction. Anaesthesia consisted in the administration of thiopentone, fentanyl, vecuronium and nitrous oxide in oxygen. After endotracheal intubation, a gastric tube was inserted. The stomach fluid content was completely aspirated, and then again 60 and 120 min after induction, as well as at the end of surgery. Age, weight and duration of surgery were comparable in the four groups. Mean pH in the diazepam group was much lower than that in the other groups, both just after induction (2.3 +/- 1.54; p less than 0.001 vs. ranitidine and sodium citrate; p less than 0.01 vs. enprostil) and at the end of surgery (3.2 +/- 2.03; p less than 0.01 vs. ranitidine and sodium citrate; p less than 0.05 vs. enprostil). There was more than 0.4 ml.kg-1 gastric juice in the sodium citrate group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)