Orthopedics – Does a Pre-Operative Carbohydrate Drink Decrease Time For Gastrointestinal Function To Return After Spinal Fusion Surgery?

What is the goal of this study?

Doctors and researchers at Seattle Children's want to find ways to reduce constipation and shorten the time it takes for gastrointestinal function to return to normal after spinal fusion surgery.

We are conducting this research in order to see whether drinking a pre-surgery carbohydrate drink improves comfort during surgery.

Who can join the study?

This research study is for children and adolescents who are undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

Basic Eligibility Criteria:

• English Speaking
• is greater than 8 years old
• Undergoing spinal fusion with ASA1 and 2 Classification

What will happen if my child takes part in this study?

If you and your child choose to take part in the research study, your child will:

• Be assigned to either receive a pre-surgery carbohydrate drink or receive no drink pre-surgery. This is random, and your child will have a 50% chance of ending up in each group (like a coin flip).
• If randomized to the drink group, your child should finish drinking the pre-surgery carbohydrate drink between 2 and 2.5 hours BEFORE surgery, with approval from the anesthesiologist.
• Children in both groups, drink and non-drink, will complete a short comfort measures questionnaire before surgery, and twice per day while in the hospital recovering from surgery.

Who can I contact for more information?

For more information on this research study, please contact our research team at orthoresearchteam@seattlechildrens.org