Fasting Guidelines MCQ — NEET PG Practice Question | NEETPGAI
Fasting Guidelines
medium
syringe Anesthesia
A 6-year-old child is scheduled for elective tonsillectomy under general anesthesia at 10:00 AM. The child had a light breakfast (toast and jam) at 07:30 AM. The anesthesiologist is evaluating the patient at 09:00 AM. What is the most appropriate next step?
A. Cancel surgery and reschedule for the following day
B. Delay surgery by 4 hours to ensure 6 hours fasting from solid food
C. Proceed with anesthesia as scheduled; 1.5 hours fasting is adequate for solids in children
D. Administer metoclopramide 0.1 mg/kg IV and proceed with anesthesia after 30 minutes
Explanation
Pre-operative Fasting Guidelines in Pediatrics
Key Point
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Indian guidelines recommend a minimum fasting period of 6 hours for solid food in children, regardless of the type of solid consumed.
Fasting Timeline Analysis
Breakfast consumed: 07:30 AM
Current time: 09:00 AM
Fasting duration so far: 1.5 hours
Minimum required: 6 hours
Earliest safe time for induction: 13:30 (1:30 PM)
Delay required: 4 hours (from 09:00 AM to 13:30)
High-YieldNEET PG
The fasting period is measured from the time of last intake, not from the time of evaluation. A "light" breakfast does not reduce the required fasting duration.
Fasting Guidelines Table
Table
Substance
Minimum Fasting Period (hours)
Notes
Clear liquids
2
Water, apple juice, black tea/coffee
Breast milk
4
Unique gastric emptying kinetics
Formula/cow's milk
6
Higher fat content
Solid food
6
Regardless of composition
Fatty meals
8
Delayed gastric emptying
Clinical Pearl
In pediatric patients, even a small amount of solid food (toast, biscuits, light snacks) requires the full 6-hour fasting period because the risk of aspiration is not reduced by the quantity or type of solid consumed.
