Impact of Non-fasting on Anxiety in Cataract Surgery — StarvAnx  

Cataract Surgery Clinical Trial

Official title: Impact of Non-fasting Strategy on Pre-operative Patients' Anxiety in Cataract Surgery Performed Under Topical Anesthesia

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether non-fasting recommendation could reduce preoperative anxiety level, incidence of anesthetist interventions, and number of surgical complications in elective cataract surgery patients.

Clinical Trial Description

Fear of aspiration makes anesthetists reluctant to challenge standard pre-operative fasting guidelines recommending stopping eating solids and drinking clear fluid 6 hours and 2 hours, respectively before anesthesia. However, hunger and thirst exacerbates patients' anxiety, adversely impacts the patient's comfort and satisfaction, and enhances pain response leading to additional need for analgesia.

Patients undergoing non-invasive procedures requiring no or light sedation may benefit from non-fasting recommendations. The need for preoperative fasting in patients undergoing cataract surgery under topical anesthesia remains controversial. Patients are not fasted before standard cataract surgery under local anesthesia in many cataract centers, in accordance with the UK national guideline published in 2012. However, this practice is not supported by a high level of evidence from prospective clinical trials. So far, the lack of international professional consensus on the matter, local practices are based on institutional recommendations obviating the need for starvation in routine cataract surgery under topical anesthesia. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cataract
• Cataract Surgery

• NCT number: NCT04769856
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 2, 2021
• Completion date: November 2, 2021