eP155 A retrospective study of pre-operative fasting times of CEPOD list patients in a district hospital: Lessons to be learned to minimize the fasting time

Methods The study retrospectively collected data over 4.5 months from 100 general surgery patients of CEPOD list under general anesthesia. Exclusion criteria consisted of under local anesthesia, elective cases, existing GI upset, e.g., nausea/vomiting, and procedures involved major gastrointestinal operations. Results The mean age was 44.48 ± 11.12, and 79.2% of the patients were male. Procedures included I&D of superficial and pilonidal abscess, EUA and perineal abscess drainage, hernia repair, flexible sigmoidoscopy, hot gallbladder, hemorrhoidectomy, and their percentages were 45%, 36%, 11%, 7%, and 1%, respectively. The mean fasting times for liquid and solid were 10.61 hours and 15.28 hours, respectively. The percentages of excessive fasting from liquid (> 2 hrs) and solid (> 6 hrs) were 95 and 97, respectively. The reasons for this high rate were emergency cases of all departments sharing a common theater, keeping patients fasting from midnight or 2 am routinely, a lack of case triage, and preplanned timing during morning CEPOD meetings. Conclusion It is believed that this current study will enhance the awareness of nurses and other healthcare professionals involved in the patient's surgical process, who hold crucial roles and duties within the healthcare team, and foster a critical and inventive perspective on current practices.