Gastric Emptying of Orange Juice With and Without Pulp: A Point-of-Care Ultrasound Study

Purpose The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) preoperative fasting recommendations regarding fruit juice with pulp is unclear. In addition, it is debatable whether orange juice without pulp should be treated as a clear liquid. Our objective is to determine the gastric emptying time of orange juice with and without pulp. Methods This is an observational study of gastric emptying time using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Thirty-five adult volunteers were enrolled in this study. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, diabetes, body mass index > 40 kg/m², previous lower esophageal or upper abdominal surgery, hiatal hernia, and upper gastrointestinal bleed. The study was carried out on three separate days for each volunteer. After fasting a minimum of 8 h, the volunteers were asked to drink 240 ml of water on day 1, orange juice without pulp on day 2, and orange juice with pulp on day 3. Gastric volumes were estimated using gastric antrum cross-sectional area at fasting state, and then 30, 60, 90 120, 180, and 240 min after drinking until the gastric volume returned to baseline. Results A gastric volume of 1.5 mL/kg was defined as a baseline. All subjects' gastric volume returned to baseline 90 min after drinking water. More than 97% of the subjects who drank orange juice without pulp and 93.9% of the subjects who drank orange juice with pulp reached a gastric volume of less than 1.5 mL/kg after 2 h. All subjects' gastric volume returned to baseline 3 h after drinking orange juice with pulp. Conclusions Orange juice without pulp can be treated as a clear liquid in a majority of patients who do not have conditions that would cause delayed gastric emptying. Orange juice with pulp required 3 h to empty.

Ultrasound-Guided Upper Trunk Perineural Catheter for Shoulder Surgery: A Description of Catheter Technique

Interscalene brachial plexus block is frequently utilized for anesthesia and analgesia of complex and painful shoulder surgeries. But unintentional phrenic nerve blockade is a bane to the existence of this technique. Single-injection upper trunk blockade has emerged as a promising approach that appears to preserve phrenic nerve function better than the interscalene approach. The purpose of this case series is to describe the sonoanatomy, technique, and utility of a continuous upper trunk block, not previously described in the literature.