Ultrasound Assessment of Metoclopramide's Effect on Stomach Volume in Urgent Pediatric Trauma Surgery

Gastric volume is a critical consideration in pediatric patients undergoing urgent surgical procedures, particularly in trauma cases where rapid sequence induction is required to minimize the risk of aspiration. Point-of-care gastric ultrasonography (gastric PocUs) allows evaluation of the volume and type of stomach contents. Previous studies have reported that gastric contents and volume measured using gastric PoCUS are significantly correlated with cross-sectional antral area. as a result, bedside gastric PocUs is considered a reliable and reproducible technique. gastric PocUs scan can distinguish an empty stomach from a full stomach based on qualitative results by distinguishing the physical properties of gastric fluid. The presence of thick fluid and solid contents indicate a full stomach.in contrast, the presence of clear gastric fluid is normal in healthy, fasted individuals at low risk of aspiration. as a result, assessing the volume of clear fluid in the stomach may have utility in identifying high stomach volumes that are incompatible with the fasting state.

Metoclopramide is a prokinetic chlorobenzamide derivative that accelerates gastric emptying and reduces gastric volume. Metoclopramide can be safely used preoperatively prior to cesarean section (cs). Metoclopramide has been extensively studied as a premedication for abdominal surgery, particularly in obstetric populations. Due to favorable effect of reducing gastric fluid volume, metoclopramide is commonly used to reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia during surgery. Metoclopramide reportedly has synergistic dual activity in parturient women; an antiemetic effect on the chemoreceptor trigger zone and peripheral activity in increasing the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter and decreasing the time required for gastric emptying. the mortality of aspiration pneumonia-related is reportedly as high as 5%, with aspiration pneumonia responsible for up to 9% of all anesthesia-related deaths. Metoclopramide is well known for its ability to enhance gastric emptying however, to the best of our knowledge, the effectiveness of metoclopramide in enhancing gastric emptying has yet to be evaluated with ultrasonography in preoperative settings, particularly in urgent pediatric trauma.

Inclusion criteria

• Paediatric urgent trauma

Exclusion criteria

• Guardian' refusal.
• Presence of head trauma.