Food residues identified in the pharynx of a patient with a cleft palate

Solid food residues were identified in the pharynx of a 17-month-old infant with a cleft palate at the time of anesthesia induction, although nothing-by-mouth directions for more than four hours had been strictly followed. Preoperative airway management, e.g. gargling and nose blowing, is necessary in patients with a cleft palate even after an appropriate period of fasting because food residues may remain in the nose due to the anatomical abnormality.