Preoperative starvation and plasma glucose concentrations in children undergoing outpatient anaesthesia.

Thirty-one children aged less than 5 years were studied while attending hospital for anaesthesia as outpatients. Plasma glucose concentrations were measured after the induction of anaesthesia. The mean plasma glucose concentration was 4.70 mmol litre-1. No patients had a plasma glucose concentration less than 2.8 mmol litre-1, despite at least 8 h of starvation. This is unexplained. It is suggested that the conclusions drawn from studies made in young inpatients may not be applicable to young outpatients.