Audit of pre-operative starvation.

An audit of pre-operative starvation at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary has been undertaken. It shows that both adults and children are starved for significantly longer than the hospital's official starvation policy requires. The mean starvation time for children was almost 10 h, which is longer than the 8 h required before hypoglycaemia becomes a risk. A review of the literature suggests that only 3 h of fluid withdrawal is necessary. Possible ways to improve pre-operative starvation regimens are discussed.