A national survey of attitudes towards ‘Sip ‘til Send'

protocols for women undergoing elective caesarean section

under planned regional anaesthesia.

L.Austen, R.Cooper & M.Ravindran – George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

Introduction

A recent article in the International Journal of Obstetric Anaesthesia described a prospective study of the effect of a liberal fluid fasting policy on patient reported variables at elective caesarean delivery. (1) We conducted a survey evaluating the prevalence of, and attitudes towards, a ‘Sip ‘til Send’ policy for women undergoing elective caesarean section under planned regional anaesthesia in the UK.

Methods

Survey designed on Google forms and distributed to anaesthetists around the UK via social media, WhatsApp and email messages.
Ethics
Approval from the local Caldicott Guardian, R&D department or audit committee not sought since the survey did not involve patients or collection of patient data.

All participants informed at start of survey that "We aim to present the results of this survey at the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association Annual Scientific Meeting in May 2024”

Results

51 responses were collected from 33 different institutions. There were no more than three responses from any one institution, although five respondents elected not to state their place of work.

Over 90% of respondents were either “Not at all concerned” or only “Slightly concerned” that Sip ‘til Send would increase the risk of pulmonary aspiration.
Whilst 25 (49%) reported that their institution already followed Sip ‘til Send, 21 of the remaining 26 anaesthetists viewed such a policy “Very favourably” and would support it in their institution.