Gastric content assessment for Anesthesia in Emergency Surgery Patients: Rely on POCUS, not your Gut Feeling

Gastric content assessment via ultrasound can provide valuable information when determining whether a patient’s stomach is full or empty, particularly in the context of preparing anesthesia for emergency surgery. Emergency surgery is common and there are no fasting guidelines for emergency surgery.

When the stomach is empty, the antrum typically presents as either a round or elliptical shape, commonly known as the “bull’s eye pattern.” This distinct pattern is characterized by a thick, hypoechogenic wall built out of muscularis propria with central and external hyperechoic layers, the mucosa, and the serosa.

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