Background: To prevent aspiration during anesthesia, patients typically undergo prolonged fasting before surgery. Nonetheless, prolonged fasting may elevate surgical stress, impede recovery, and exacerbate postoperative discomfort. This study aims to investigate the impact of preoperative oral carbohydrate loading on gastric motility and postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Materials and Methods: This study included 72 patients divided into two groups of 36 each. Group A received a 300 ml carbohydrate beverage containing 50 g of carbohydrates 2 h before surgery, whereas Group B patients received water. Ultrasound was employed to assess gastric motility. Pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), ambulation, rescue analgesia and blood glucose levels were assessed. Results: Postoperatively, 39 Group A patients had better motility as compared to 27 Group B patients, but the results were nonsignificant ( P = 0.57). Postoperative rescue analgesia demand was in 9 patients in Group A as compared to 19 patients in Group B, with P < 0.05. PONV at 48 h was significantly higher in group B patients with P = 0.04 as compared to group A patients. In both cohorts, blood glucose levels remained stable, and no complications arose. Patients in the carbohydrate group exhibited improved ambulation. Conclusion: Preoperative oral carbohydrate loading is both safe and efficacious for laparoscopic procedures. Enhanced gastric motility reduces postoperative discomfort and diminished need for rescue analgesics. It enhances surgical recovery without elevating blood glucose levels. Consequently, elective laparoscopic surgery in nondiabetic patients should incorporate preoperative carbohydrate loading.
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Basu et al. (2026) studied this question.
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