A pre and post interventional audit of an ‘apple juice on arrival’ protocol to reduce excessive clear fluid fasting times in paediatric patients

Many studies have reported prolonged fasting times in children, associated with negative metabolic and behavioural outcomes. We felt that although our paediatric preoperative clear fluid fasting guideline was only for 2 hours, prolonged fasting still occurred for some patients. We conducted an audit of paediatric fasting times, before and after introducing a new protocol of 'apple juice on arrival', in which, on arrival to the children's ward, all children received 3 ml/kg of apple juice. Data were collected prospectively from patients and their parents for two 4-week periods (before and after introduction of the protocol). Data included fasting time (solids and clear fluids), capillary blood glucose levels, knowledge of fasting requirements and sources of fasting information before surgery. Thirty-nine and 40 children, respectively, were included in each group before and after protocol introduction. Clear fluid fasting times reduced from an average of 9.9 hours pre-intervention to 3.5 hours post intervention (<i>P</i> < 0.01). In addition, mean preoperative blood sugar levels increased from 4.9 mmol/L (pre-intervention group) to 5.6 mmol/L in the post-intervention group (<i>P</i> < 0.001). The implementation of an apple juice on arrival protocol appeared to be an effective method to reduce clear fluid fasting times in children in our institution.