The doctor explained why the mother’s lie could have killed the girl during the operation

If the patient nevertheless ate, this must be admitted to the doctor.

The other day, the story in which the frivolity of the mother of a small patient almost turned into a tragedy was told by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Karelia Mikhail Okhlopkov. Despite warnings, a parent allowed her daughter to drink a glass of water shortly before a major operation. During the operation, this water gushed through the girl’s nose and mouth, and if it were not for the skill and efficiency of the specialists, the child could easily have died. About why a glass of water before the operation can become fatal, “MK” asked the experts.

As the member of the Public Council for the Protection of the Rights of Patients, anesthesiologist-resuscitator Alexei Starchenko, explained to MK, in cases where the operation is performed under general anesthesia, the patient is connected to a ventilator. An endotracheal tube is inserted into his larynx through which the person breathes during the operation. It can only be inserted into a relaxed larynx, therefore, in addition to other medicines, the patient is injected with a muscle relaxant – a drug that relaxes the muscles. The problem is that it relaxes not only the larynx, but also the muscles of the stomach and esophagus. As a result, liquid or liquefied food is sent back.

“This is most similar to vomiting, but it is more correct to call this phenomenon regurgitation – the movement of fluid in the opposite direction to normal,” the specialist explained. In the direction of the larynx, along with the food and drink located there, the gastric juice also moves, containing, in particular, hydrochloric and other acids, as well as enzymes. When they enter the lungs, they lead to operational pneumonia. The contents of the stomach can damage the alveoli through which oxygen enters the blood. In addition, the influx of dangerous fluid can cause the tiny bronchi that connect the alveoli to the upper respiratory tract to contract, so that oxygen supply to the lungs can be reduced to catastrophic levels, often resulting in death.

Therefore, the doctor explained, before the operation, the patient should not eat or drink for at least 10 hours. If the operation is carried out on an emergency basis, then with the help of a nasal-gastric (going through the nose to the stomach) probe, all its contents are pumped out of the patient’s stomach, and only after that they proceed to the operation. Therefore, even if the patient could not resist the temptation and allowed himself something to eat or even just drank water, he needs to confess everything to the doctors.