Role of Point-of-Care Gastric Ultrasound in Advancing Perioperative Fasting Guidelines

Pulmonary aspiration in the perioperative period carries the risk of significant morbidity and mortality. As such, guidelines have been developed with the hopes of minimizing this risk by recommending fasting from solids and liquids over a specified amount of time. Point-of-care ultrasound has altered the landscape of perioperative medicine; specifically, gastric ultrasound plays a pivotal role in perioperative assessment. Further, the advent of glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor agonists, the widespread use of cannabis, and Enhanced Recovery program carbohydrate beverage presents new challenges when attempting to standardize fasting guidelines. This review synthesizes the literature surrounding perioperative fasting guidelines specifically with regard to the use of point-of-care ultrasound in assessing for gastric contents and minimizing the risk of aspiration.