Gastric Ultrasound To Assess Gastric Contents In Patients On Semaglutide Therapy
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1-RA) such as semaglutide (Ozempic™, Rybelsus™, Wegovy™) were first introduced as a therapeutic agent for type 2 diabetes mellitus but they are being increasingly used to target weight loss in obesity.
One of the mechanisms by which weight loss is achieved, is increased satiety and significantly delayed gastric emptying. Tachyphylaxis for this effect has been reported with chronic use of long acting GLP-1-RA (e.g. semaglutide) but this was based on the paracetamol absorption technique or 13C breath test. Recent clinical data suggests semaglutide use does increase perioperative gastric content.This creates uncertainty for anaesthetists who are, anecdotally, more frequently faced with patients who may or may not have full stomachs despite adhering to conventional fasting guidelines.
To address this issue the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has recently released guidelines in which it advises to hold GLP-1-RA for one day (if administered daily) or one week (if administered weekly).
However, these recommendations are based on sparse empirical evidence and they do not necessarily follow from the known pharmacokinetic properties of these drugs. Typically, GLP-1-RA are administered in increasing doses over several weeks until a therapeutic steady state is achieved. Meanwhile the elimination half-life of e.g. semaglutide is 7 days. This means that holding semaglutide for one day or even one week might not be enough…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a clinical trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 88 participants or records.
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