Ultrasound Assessment of Gastric Contents : the Way to Best Induce Children for Emergency Surgery

Anesthesia for emergency surgery is a situation at risk of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents. It has been previously reported that bedside two-dimensional ultrasonography can be a useful tool for anesthesiologists to determine gastric contents and volume in adults and children.

In this prospective study, preoperative qualitative ultrasound assessment of gastric contents is performed for each children admitted for emergency surgery, in order to plane in case of empty stomach an intravenous or inhalation technique induction rather than an rapid sequence induction.