The role of perioperative chewing gum on gastric fluid volume and gastric pH: a meta-analysis

•Meta-analysis was used to examine if preoperative gum chewing affects gastric pH and fluid volume.•Chewing gum before surgery results in small increases in gastric volume but no change in gastric pH.•The small increases in gastric volume from chewing gum are likely of no clinical significance.•Elective surgery should not necessarily be canceled or delayed in patients due to chewing gum.

Study objectiveTo determine if preoperative gum chewing affects gastric pH and gastric fluid volume.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsData sources included Cochrane, PubMed, and EMBASE databases from inception to June 2012 and reference lists of known relevant articles without language restriction. Randomized controlled trials in which a treatment group that chewed gum was compared to a control group that fasted were included. Relevant data, including main outcomes of gastric fluid volume and gastric pH, were extracted.ResultsFour studies involving 287 patients were included. The presence of chewing gum was associated with small but statically significant increases in gastric fluid volume (mean difference = 0.21 mL/kg; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.39; P = .03) but not in gastric pH (mean difference = 0.11 mL/kg; 95% confidence interval, − 0.14 to 0.36; P = .38). Gastric fluid volume and gastric pH remained unchanged in subgroup analysis by either sugar or sugarless gum type.ConclusionsChewing gum in the perioperative period causes small but statically significant increases in gastric fluid volume and no change in gastric pH. The increase in gastric fluid most likely is of no clinical significance in terms of aspiration risk for the patient. Elective surgery should not necessarily be canceled or delayed in healthy patients who accidentally chew gum preoperatively.