A study of 13 patients with gastric tube in place after esophageal resection: Use of omeprazole to decrease gastric acidity and volume

Study Objective: To investigate whether oral omeprazole 20 mg decreases the risk of aspiration pneumonia in Patients with gastric tube reconstruction. Design: Consecutive study. Setting: Operation room of cancer center. Patients: Thirteen patients with gastric tube reconstruction for esophageal cancer. Interventions: Oral omeprazole 20 mg was given the night before surgery. A rapid-sequence induction with cricoid pressure was employed for induction o f anesthesia. After tracheal intubation, a nasogastric catheter was inserte d into the gastric tube and the contents were aspirated. Measurements and Main Results: The PH and volume of the gastric contents we re measured. The PH and volume of the gastric tube contents were 4.5 +/- 1. 6 (range from 2.5 to 7.0) and 9.5 +/- 10.2 mL (range from 0 to 30 mL), resp ectively. Food residue was recognized in nine patients. There was no patien t with a PH below 2.5 and a volume of 25 mL or greater. Conclusions: Omeprazole 20 mg decreased the acidify and volume of the gastr ic tube contents and reduced the risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients w ith a gastric tube in place. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc.