JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rout, C. C. Articles by Gouws, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rout, C. C. Articles by Gouws, E.

Intravenous Ranitidine Reduces the Risk of Acid Aspiration of Gastric Contents at Emergency Cesarean Section

*Department of Anaesthetics, University of Natal, and the Medical Research Council, Institute for Biostatistics, Durban, South Africa

This study documented gastric pH and volume and the number of patients at risk of acid aspiration of gastric contents in a group of mothers undergoing emergency cesarean section under general anesthesia. Patients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive ranitidine, 50 mg intravenously, or placebo at the time of decision to proceed to cesarean section. In addition, all patients received 30 mL of 0.3 M sodium citrate on entry into the operating room. Aspiration of gastric contents was undertaken immediately after endotracheal intubation (PI) and before tracheal extubation. Patients with both pH < 3.5 and volume > 25 mL were deemed to be at risk of acid aspiration should regurgitation occur. Postintubation, 12 patients (4%) were at risk in the citrate-alone group and 7 patients (2.3%) were at risk in the ranitidine/citrate group (not significant). Preextubation, 17 patients (5.6%) were at risk in the citrate-alone group and 1 patient (0.3%) was at risk in the ranitidine/citrate group (P < 0.05). PI pH in patients receiving ranitidine/citrate (mean 5.2, sd 0.8) was significantly higher than in patients receiving citrate alone (mean 4.9, sd 1.1). None of the patients who received ranitidine more than 30 min before the PI sample were at risk compared to 6 (3.2%) in the citrate alone group (P = 0.05). We conclude that 50 mg of intravenous ranitidine given at the time of decision to proceed to cesarean section reduces the risk of acid aspiration provided that at least 30 min have elapsed from injection to induction of anesthesia.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. P. Wang and M. J. Paech Neuroanesthesia for the Pregnant Woman Anesth. Analg., July 1, 2008; 107(1): 193 - 200. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999