[Cimetidine for preventing the adverse effects of aspiration during anaesthesia (author's transl)].

The aspiration of gastric contents into the bronchial tree is a serious complication in both anaesthetic practice and obstetrics. The main factor in the pathophysiology of this syndrome is the degree of acidity of the aspirated material. A reliable and effective way of preventing its occurrence is to raise the pH of the gastric secretion by administration of the histamine H2 antagonist cimetidine.