Table 3.
Survey responses by region.
| Survey questions | Canada | Australia and New Zealand | Europe | Total | ||||||
|
|
n/N (%) | n/N (%) | n/N (%) | n/N (%) | ||||||
| Do your fasting instructions encourage drinking clear fluid until 2 or 3 hours before scheduled time of surgery? | ||||||||||
|
|
Yes | 300/659 (45.5) | 116/181 (64.1) | 53/105 (50.5) | 469/945 (49.6) | |||||
|
|
No | 359/659 (54.5) | 65/181 (35.9) | 52/105 (49.5) | 476/945 (50.4) | |||||
|
|
|
As we don’t agree with the guidelines | 1/359 (0.3) | 1/65 (2.0) | 2/52 (4.0) | 4/476 (0.8) | ||||
|
|
|
As too many of our patients are at high risk | 24/359 (6.7) | 4/65 (4.0) | 0/52 (0.0) | 28/424 (6.6) | ||||
|
|
|
As we cannot establish a system to implement this safely | 135/359 (37.6) | 26/65 (40.0) | 21/52 (40.0) | 182/476 (38.2) | ||||
|
|
|
As the operating room schedule is too variable | 194/359 (54.0) | 38/65 (58.0) | 23/52 (44.0) | 255/476 (53.6) | ||||
|
|
|
Other reasons | 106/359 (29.5) | 22/65 (34.0) | 6/52 (12.0) | 134/476 (28.1) | ||||
| Do your fasting instructions routinely allow some solid food on the day of surgery? |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
No solid food or milk (except breast milk) after midnight on the night before surgery | 503/662 (76.0) | 15/181 (8.3) | 38/106 (35.8) | 556/949 (58.6) | |||||
|
|
Solid food/light breakfast allowed until 8 (or 6) hours before surgery | 149/662 (22.5) | 162/181 (89.5) | 65/106 (61.3) | 376/949 (39.6) | |||||
|
|
Other, please specify | 10/662 (1.5) | 18/181 (9.9) | 2/106 (1.9) | 30/949 (3.2) | |||||
| Do you encourage a specific preoperative fluid (complex carbohydrate or electrolyte) as part of your fasting/drinking policies? | ||||||||||
|
|
Yes | 131/656 (20.0) | 36/180 (20.0) | 25/99 (25) | 192/935 (20.5) | |||||
|
|
No | 525/656 (80.0) | 144/180 (80.0) | 74/99 (75) | 743/935 (79.5) | |||||
| Do members of your department prescribe preoperative H2-receptor antagonists or proton pump inhibitors in healthy patients undergoing elective surgery (not obstetric patients)? | ||||||||||
|
|
Routinely | 21/645 (3.3) | 4/174 (2.3) | 10/99 (10) | 35/918 (3.8) | |||||
|
|
Only when clinically indicated | 624/645 (96.7) | 170/174 (97.7) | 89/99 (90) | 883/918 (96.2) | |||||
| Do patients comment on being allowed to drink on day of surgery? | ||||||||||
|
|
Frequently | 181/624 (29.0) | 56/171 (32.7) | 39/91 (43) | 276/886 (31.1) | |||||
|
|
Rarely | 382/624 (61.2) | 102/171 (59.6) | 42/91 (46) | 526/886 (59.4) | |||||
|
|
Never | 61/624 (9.8) | 13/171 (7.6) | 10/91 (11) | 84/886 (9.5) | |||||