How do trauma surgeons deal with the fact that the patients they operate on probably haven’t fasted the night before given that trauma patients don’t know in advance they’ll be having surgery?

Question

I know that with elective surgeries, patients have to fast the night before to prevent vomiting when they go under anesthetic, but I was wondering how this concern is navigated in trauma or emergency surgeries in which patients definitely didn’t fast the night before? Do they just try to deal with the vomit or is there a special procedure to prevent vomiting from occurring?

In: 1727

Answer 1

Not a surgeon or anesthesiologist but a radiologist whose read a lot of Trauma CT chiming in.

It’s INCREDIBLY common for a trauma patient to have a very full stomach. So much so that it can surprise our new trainees who are used to seeing planned outpatient CTs where the patient is encouraged to fast or only take clear liquids. We joke that half our MVCs occur just as the patient pulls out of McDonald’s parking lot

But you’ve got a good answer earlier. The anesthesiologist compensates with rapid sequence intubation. The risk of aspiration is so much less than that of delaying the patient who needs an epidural hematoma decompressed