Jeanette:
Additional materials that might be helpful:
Schreiner MS. Preoperative and postoperative fasting in children.
Pediatric Clinics of North America 1994;41(1):111-119.
See correspondence in British Journal of Anesthesia, Vol. 74, no. 3, March
1995, p. 349 and Vol. 75, no. 3, September 1995, p. 375 for discussion of
preoperative fasting for pediatric anesthesia. No mention of breastmilk,
but deals with the problem that many children end up fasting much longer
than intended. The authors believe that a clear fluid drink should be
"prescribed" 3 hours before surgery.
Also send for the Day Surgery instructions from Boston Children's Hospital,
300 Longwood Ave, Boston (phone:355-7921), which someone had mentioned on
Lactnet some time ago. They allow breastmilk up to 3 hours before surgery.
Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL leader in Madison, WI
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