Fasting in paediatric ambulatory surgery

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine how preoperative fasting and postoperative termination of the fast was experienced in ambulatory surgery by child patients and their mothers. The target group consisted of children (n=12, age 2-10 years) who had undergone tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, and their mothers. In the interviews, the mothers were asked to describe the problems connected with their child's preoperative fast and postoperative termination of the fast, as well as the things that went well in the process. Content analysis was carried out inductively. Preoperatively, the children were thirsty and anxious, but understood the fasting situation well. In some cases, there were conflicts between the child and his/her parent if fasting was prolonged. Parents also had doubts about their ability to implement the child's fast. Postoperatively, children had pains in their throats and stomachs, suffered from nausea, and had difficulty taking in nutrition and medication. Parents had worries about their child's home care, such as food intake and administration of pain medication. The possibility of postoperative bleeding and exacerbation of the child's condition was also worrying for the parents. The most evident result of the study was that parents need more information before their child's operation. Preparing the child for the operation by giving him/her nutrition as long as permitted enhances postoperative recovery and improves parents' control over the ambulatory surgical experience. Nurses should take a more active part in children's perioperative fasting and preoperative preparation of children and their parents. In further research, experimental studies should be designed in order to receive more evidence-based information for clinical practice.