Prevention of Aspiration of Gastric Contents during General Anesthesia

Abstract
ASPIRATION of gastric contents into the respiratory tract by the unconscious patient is a serious, and sometimes a fatal, hazard. In a series of 44,016 pregnancies studied at the New York Lying-in Hospital, Mendelson1 reported 66 cases of aspiration of gastric contents into the pulmonary tree. Hingson and Hellman,2 in 1951, analyzed 330 maternal deaths resulting from anesthesia and found aspiration of vomitus responsible for 155. The dangers of aspiration of stomach contents during general anesthesia have been documented by others.3 , 4 Although the hazard of aspiration of gastric contents from a stomach known to be full is well recognized, the . . .