Fasting times in caregivers of children presenting for ambulatory surgery.

BACKGROUND

It has been the anecdotal experience in this unit that many parents and guardians of children presenting for day-case surgery also fast along with their child for prolonged periods of time. There have been several episodes of parents feeling dizzy or nauseated on leaving the anesthetic room after induction of anesthesia, and many incidents of fainting in recovery when collecting their child. Our purpose was to investigate this theme further, by auditing the fasting times of caregivers coming to the induction room over a 3-month period. This information has not been previously described in the literature.

METHODS

We carried out a prospective audit of current practice. Data were collected by questionnaire, which caregivers were requested to complete in the holding area, after the child was checked in for theatre.

RESULTS

Two hundred and fifty-seven caregivers fasted for 0-6 h and 223 fasted for >6 h. One hundred and fourteen caregivers fasted for 7-12 h and 109 caregivers fasted between 13 and 19 h.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of parents choose to fast with their children. Some caregivers fast for long periods. In general, this does not cause any ill effects, although some parents missed routine medications while fasting.