Preoperative anxiety and volume and acidity of gastric fluid in children

Forty-three patients aged 3-6 years, undergoing minor surgery were studied. Parents staying with their children were asked to evaluate the anxiety of their children and themselves by a visual-analogue scale the night before surgery (VAS-N) and just before premedication in the morning (VAS-M). After induction, gastric fluid was collected and the volume and pH were measured. Patients with a VAS-M lower than 5 were considered the low-anxiety group (L-group; n=24) and the remainder comprised the high-anxiety group (H-group; n=19). The gastric volume of the H-group was significantly lower than that of the L-group. No difference was found in pH. A significant overall correlation of VAS-N was found between patients and their parents. These results suggest that the low level anxiety of children and their parents could not reduce the volume and acidity of gastric fluid and consequently the risk of aspiration pneumonia.