Open AccessPre-Anesthetic Cimetidine Alteration of Gastric Fluid Volume and pH
Author(s) -
Dennis W. Coombs,
Donald Hooper,
Theodore Colton
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
anesthesia and analgesia/anesthesia and analgesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.404
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1526-7598
pISSN - 0003-2999
DOI - 10.1213/00000539-197905000-00005
Subject(s) - medicine , cimetidine , anesthesia , gastric fluid , anesthetic , volume (thermodynamics) , chromatography , thermodynamics , chemistry , physics
Gastric volume and pH were studied immediately after induction of anesthesia and endotracheal intubation in 101 elective surgical patients. Of 44 patients not given cimetidine, 82% had a gastric pH less than 2.5 with a mean pH of 1.6; 45% of these patients had a gastric aspirate pH less than 2.5 associated with a volume exceeding 25 ml. In 57 patients premedicated with intravenous cimetidine at variable intervals (15 to 60 minutes) prior to induction of anesthesia, a significant time-dependent increase was noted in gastric pH (p less than 0.001) together with a decline in gastric volume (p less than 0.001). Of the patients given intravenous cimetidine (mean 4.5 mg/kg) 45 minutes prior to induction of anesthesia, 90% had a gastric pH greater than 2.5. The increase in gastric pH after cimetidine administration would result in a reduced chemical pulmonary reaction should aspiration occur during induction of anesthesia.