Feasibility of Nurse-performed Gastric Ultrasound After Surgery

Feasibility of Nurse-performed Gastric Point-of-care Ultrasound to Determine Gastric Content After Gastro-intestinal and Oncologic Surgery: a Pilot Study

Gastric ultrasound is a quick and non-invasive tool to evaluate gastric content.

Emptying of gastric content can be affected after abdominal surgery leading to the inability of tolerating oral foods. Gastric content can be assessed by gastric ultrasound and nurses were recently trained to do so in healthy volunteers; however, feasibility of nurse-performed gastric ultrasound after major abdominal surgery is not investigated yet.

This study aims to investigate the feasibility of nurse-performed gastric point-of-care ultrasound after major gastro-intestinal surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients (>18 years)

• Underwent gastrointestinal surgery:

  • partial liver resection,
  • colorectal resection,
  • HIPEC,
  • pancreatic procedures including Whipple procedures for pancreatic cancer or pancreatic disorders,
  • other gastro- intestinal abdominal procedures such as resections of sarcomas, correction of herniation.

• Obtained written informed consent.

• Admitted for at least 3 days.

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with open abdominal wounds or with abdominal pain hindering adequate gastric ultrasound
• patients with a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy catheter