Cimethidine Pre‐Anesthetic

Abstract. Twenty patients undergoing cesarean section received cimethidine 400 mg intramuscularly as pre‐anesthetic approximately 70 minutes prior to gastric aspiration. The average pH was 5.05, as against 2.97 in the control group (p<0.01). No significant reduction in the aspirated volumes was observed. In the cimethidine group the proportion of patients at risk of developing Mendelson's syndrome (pH<2.5 and volume > 25 ml) was significantly reduced, viz. 5% as against 42% in the control group (P = 0.014). No perinatal effects attributable to cimethidine were observed in the infants. Hence, cimethidine is a safe and useful pre‐anesthetic for patients undergoing cesarean section, irrespective of indication and, consequently, much to be preferred to oral antacids.