Point-of-Care Gastric Ultrasound in a Pediatric Patient After Bowel Preparation: A Case Report

Polyethylene glycol electrolyte solutions (PEG, NuLYTELY(®)) are widely used to prepare the GI tract before colonoscopy or barium enema examinations. Although PEG appears as a clear liquid, the optimal interval for sedation or general anesthesia after the last administration of these solutions is unclear and controversial in the anesthetic literature. We present a 3-year-old patient with intermittent bloody stools who required anesthetic care for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy. Given the controversial nil per os time with the use of PEG-containing solutions, point-of-care gastric ultrasound was performed to evaluate gastric contents and gastric volume before the induction of anesthesia.