SUGARLESS GUM CHEWING BEFORE SURGERY DOES NOT INCREASE GASTRIC FLUID VOLUME OR ACIDITY

Patients occasionally arrive in the operating suite chewing gum despit e instructions to avoid oral intake for a specific number of hours bef ore surgery. Some anaesthetists are hesitant to proceed with these pat ients fearing an increase in gastric volume and acidity This study was undertaken to determine if gum chewing increased gastric volume and a cidity. Seventy seven patients were recruited and informed consent obt ained. Thirty-one patients who fasted overnight were randomly assigned either ro serve as control (Group 1) or to chew sugarless gum prior t o anaesthesia (Group 2). The remaining 46 patients fasted overnight bu t were given sugarless gum and allowed to chew it until immediately be fore induction of anaesthesia if they desired (Group 3). Volume and pH of gastric content were determined immediately after induction of ana esthesia and tracheal intubation. Results revealed mean values (range) of gastric volume far Group 1 - 26 ml (9-60), Group 2 - 40 ml (5-93), and Group 3 - 28 ml (4-65). Mean values for pH (range) were Group I - 1.8 (1.0-4.6), Group 2 - 1.6(1.3-1.9), Group 3 - 1.7 (1.0-4.4). There was no difference between groups in terms of gastric volume or pH. In addition there was no relationship between gastric content and the le ngth of time from gum discard to induction or the length of rime gum w as chewed In conclusion the data suggest that induction of anaesthesia is safe and surgery does not need to be delayed if a patient arrives in the OR chewing sugarless gum.