Preoperative Oral Carbohydrates for Children: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Background: Many studies have reported the use of preoperative oral carbohydrates (CHO) in children, but the results are inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the effectiveness and safety of oral CHO administration in children prior to surgery, with the goal of offering a dependable reference for clinical nursing practices and surgical interventions. Methods: Two authors searched PubMed, Clinical trials, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and Weipu databases for randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the effects of preoperative oral CHO in children up to April 12, 2024. We used RevMan 5.4 software for data analysis. Results: Nine RCTs involving a total of 1279 children were included. The meta-analysis showed that there was statistical difference in the pH of gastric juice (MD = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.40–1.67, p < .001), intraoperative sedation score (MD = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.27–0.97, p < .001), and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (OR = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.20–0.80, p = .009) between the CHO and control groups. There was no statistical difference in the RGV (MD = −0.23, 95%CI: −0.47–0.01, p = .06) and the postoperative blood glucose level (MD = −0.91, 95%CI: −5.03–3.21, p = .67) between the CHO and control groups. Egger regression analysis showed that there were no publication biases amongst the synthesized outcomes (all p > .05). Conclusion: The administration of oral CHO to children before surgery is safe and practicable. There is a need for additional, well-conducted studies with more participants to further elucidate the role of preoperative CHO administration.