Preanesthesia carbohydrate loading in pediatric patients with acyanotic congenital heart disease: a case series

Children with acyanotic congenital heart disease need cardiac catheterization for various indications, ranging from diagnostic procedures to innovative interventional therapy. Although preanesthesia fasting is widely accepted to minimize the risk of regurgitation and aspiration during induction, studies have shown that fasting also has a negative impact. Some studies have reported the incidence of anxiety in pediatric patients in the operating room to be 75.44% and 34–56% of it was caused by hunger. We report 4 of our patients, who were allowed maltodextrin drinks as much as 5–10 ml/kg 2 h before anesthesia and the patient's anxiety level, vital signs, blood sugar before and during the procedure, and the incidence of complications were observed. The results showed a low level of anxiety, with good vital signs, and normal blood sugar. Carbohydrate drinks given up to 2 h before the procedure to the patients reduced hunger and thirst so that they were more comfortable, had reduced anxiety and stable blood sugar levels during the procedure. No complications were found due to the administration of carbohydrate drinks; therefore, routine administration of carbohydrate drinks can be considered in pediatric patients with acyanotic congenital heart disease who will undergo cardiac catheterization.