Compensation for Preoperative Fasting in a Hospital that Occasionally Performs Pediatric Surgery: Experience of the Essos Hospital Center (Cameroon)

Background: One of the most important safety measures during the surgical procedure is preoperative fasting, which is defined as deprivation of food and liquid intake for the hours preceding anesthesia. The general objective of our study was to describe the means and methods of compensating for preoperative fasting in children under 15 years of age in a hospital that occasionally performs pediatric surgery. Patients and methods: This is an observational, prospective descriptive study that took place over a period of 12 months, in the anesthesiology department of the Essos Hospital Center. All children whose age was <15 years, operated during the above period were included in the study. The variables studied were: the characteristics of the study population, the indication for surgery, preoperative fasting, and the means of compensation for preoperative fasting. Results: During the survey period, 162 patients met our inclusion criteria. The median age was 5 years. The sex ratio was 1.8 in favor of the male gender. General anesthesia was the most practiced technique (96.3%), ENT surgery the most represented specialty (65.4%). The mean duration of the preoperative fast was 5.8 ± 1.9 hours. One third of the study population (31.48%) observed prolonged fasting. Holliday and Segar's rule was the compensation formula regularly used (96%), ringer's lactate solution (93.8%) represented the reference infusion solution. Fasting compensation began on the operating table in all cases. Conclusion: The respect and observance of the preoperative fasting in the pediatric population is a delicate and laborious step. The mastery of the anatomical, physiological and pharmacological particularities of the child constitutes the basis of pediatric anesthesia for a safe practice.