Metoclopramide given pre-operatively empties the stomach.
Sixty adult patients admitted for emergency major orthopedic surgery were studied according to a double-blind, randomized design in order to evaluate if a single dose of 20 mg metoclopramide given intravenously at least 90 min before premedication could evacuate the stomach before anesthesia. Three patients were excluded. X-ray examination following intake of barium sulfate before anesthesia showed 10 patients with a full stomach, all belonging to the placebo group. This study demonstrates significantly fewer (P less than 0.002) patients with a full stomach before anesthesia after metoclopramide, indicating that administration of metoclopramide reduces the risk of aspiration of gastric contents to the lungs during anesthesia.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008787:Metoclopramide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000517:prevention & control; D011229:Preanesthetic Medication; D011859:Radiography; D011897:Random Allocation; D013270:Stomach / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
D008787:Metoclopramide