ASA: Children Begin Fasting From Clear Liquid Before Surgery Sooner Than Recommended

THURSDAY, Oct. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Nonadherence to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) preoperative clear liquid fasting guidelines is extremely common in pediatric anesthesia care, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held from Oct. 10 to 14 in San Antonio.Ethan Lowder, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues analyzed preoperative clear liquid fasting duration in children undergoing surgery. The analysis included a pediatric subgroup (younger than 18 years; 71,835 participants) of the Million Anesthesia Cases Study, composed of patients from 12 hospitals in New England undergoing elective anesthesia.The researchers found that median liquid fasting duration was 10.3 hours. Among 3,771 patients younger than 1 year, liquid fasting duration was 6.4 hours. From 2016 to 2024, median liquid fasting duration showed a significant decrease from 10.9 hours to 8.7 hours overall. There was no significant difference in liquid fasting duration for patients younger than 1 year in 2016 (6.7 hours) versus 2024 (6.3 hours). For both the entire dataset and patients younger than 1 year, 79 percent were exposed to prolonged fasting. Over time, the proportion of cases with prolonged liquid fasting decreased significantly from 84.3 percent in 2016 to 70.2 percent in 2024 in the complete dataset, but not in patients younger than 1 year (75.9 to 79.6 percent)."The study confirmed our hypothesis that nonadherence to ASA fasting guidelines is common in the U.S.," Lowder said in a statement. "Drinking sugar-containing clear liquids such as juices or those with electrolytes provides water and calories that children’s bodies need for normal functioning, including dealing with the stress of surgery and recovery."Press ReleaseMore Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

ASA: Children Begin Fasting From Clear Liquid Before Surgery Sooner Than Recommended

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