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

This is more related to anesthesia than surgery

Anyway, there is a method called rapid sequence intubation where anesthesiologists will give fast acting medication to put the patient under and put the breathing tube in. Usually~~ you give patients oxygen before attempting to put in the breathing tube, but here they forgo that since it adds more time they could potentially vomit.~~ They also position the patient with the head higher up to avoid effects of gravity or their belly on their stomach. Once the tube is in the trachea, there is an inflatable cuff around it that seals the wind pipe so if the patient did vomit it wont go into the lungs.

Its still a risky procedure, so typically only done during life or death cases.