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AzTrials

Healthy VolunteerQUALIGASTRNCT06079268

Diagnostic Performance of Gastric Ultrasound in Children

A study testing the initial gastric ultrasound and the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes in people with Healthy Volunteer, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is a complication responsible for the third highest cause of anaesthesia-related mortality in France, and for 50% of airway management-related mortality in the UK. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 1 year to 10 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy Volunteer
What is being tested?
the initial gastric ultrasound and the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
92 participants
Where
1 siteFrance
Study dates
20 Dec 2023to 15 Apr 2024
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 1 year to 10 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Children aged between 1 and 10 years
  • Healthy volunteer, with no significant medical history (American Society of Anesthesiologists class ASA 1)
  • Fasting according to the 2022 recommendations of the European Society of Anaesthesia: minimum fasting time of 1 h for clear liquids, 3 h for breast milk, 4 h for infant formula, 6 h for solid non-fatty foods and milk, 8 h for richer meals
  • Informed consent signed by the child's legal representatives,
  • affiliated to a social security scheme

Who cannot join

  • Agitation of the child preventing gastric ultrasound scans from being performed
  • Non-compliance with fasting instructions
  • Previous oeso-gastro-duodenal surgery
  • Treatments affecting gastric motility (erythromycin, metoclopramide, etc.)
  • Obesity defined by a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m².
  • Pathologies that may affect gastric volume: insulin-dependent or requiring diabetes, gastro-oesophageal reflux, scleroderma, etc.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

France1 site
  • Hopital Femme Mère Enfant

    Bron, 69500

Other trials in France

About this study

Official title: Assessment of the Diagnostic Performance of Qualitative Ultrasound Assessment of Gastric Contents for the Detection of Gastric Fluid Volume ≥ 1.25 ml/kg in Children

Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is a complication responsible for the third highest cause of anaesthesia-related mortality in France, and for 50% of airway management-related mortality in the UK. The occurrence of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is often the result of a poor assessment of the risk of a "full" stomach, and could therefore often be avoided if the preoperative gastric contents were known to the anaesthetist. It is therefore useful to be able to discriminate easily between patients at risk of aspiration and those at low risk before general anaesthesia, and this can be done by ultrasound examination of the gastric contents in the gastric antrum, non-invasively (abdominal ultrasound) using a 2-5 MHz abdominal ultrasound probe or a high-frequency linear probe in small children (under 10 kg). European recommendations on preoperative fasting in paediatrics recommend that the examination should be interpreted in a qualitative manner only, without measuring the antral surface. However, the diagnostic performance of this qualitative approach alone has never been evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance of the qualitative assessment of gastric contents by ultrasound in children, and to compare it with that of the clinical algorithm, for the detection of a volume of fluid greater than 1.25 ml/kg.

Children will present themselves in the morning after fasting. Upon arrival, if their weight is not known, the children will be weighed. Subsequently, they will be positioned on an examination table in a supine inclined position at 45° (head of the bed elevated). An initial gastric ultrasound will be performed by a physician (investigator 1) who will not conduct the study ultrasounds. This initial ultrasound aims to confirm the absence of gastric content in the supine and right lateral decubitus positions, thereby establishing gastric emptiness.

Read more

Investigator 1 will then proceed with the random selection of the clear liquid volume to be ingested for the study.

The child will then be asked to drink this determined volume of clear liquid (water or apple juice according to their preference), as per the randomization results, under the supervision of the first investigator who performed the initial ultrasound.

Subsequently, investigator 2 will perform a gastric ultrasound blindly with respect to the ingested liquid volume, three minutes after the consumption of the clear liquid. The examination will last a maximum of 3 minutes.

Non-invasive gastric antrum ultrasound examinations will utilize a probe with a frequency of 2-5.5 MHz and a linear probe with a frequency of 10 MHz, enabling the evaluation of the gastric antrum's appearance. The diameters (longitudinal D1 and anteroposterior D2) of the antrum will also be measured in the supine (semi-seated and lying) and right lateral positions in the sagittal plane passing through the abdominal aorta and the left lobe of the liver, for the calculation of the antral section area, given by the formula: Antral area = π x D1 x D2 / 4.

Being tested
the initial gastric ultrasound, the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • the initial gastric ultrasoundOther

    Non-invasive gastric antrum ultrasound examinations will utilize a probe with a frequency of 2-5.5 MHz and a linear probe with a frequency of 10 MHz, enabling the evaluation of the gastric antrum's appearance

  • the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutesOther

    Non-invasive gastric antrum ultrasound examinations will utilize a probe with a frequency of 2-5.5 MHz and a linear probe with a frequency of 10 MHz, enabling the evaluation of the gastric antrum's appearance

Study groups in NCT06079268
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
0 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child does not drink water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume.
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
0.6 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child drinks 0.6 ml/kg water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume.
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
1 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child drinks 1 ml/kg water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume.
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
1.25 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child drinks 1.25 ml/kg water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
1.5 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child drinks 1.5 ml/kg water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume.
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes
2 ml/kg of waterExperimentalThe child drinks 2 ml/kg water, and then the gastric ultrasound is performed 3 minutes later blindly to the ingested volume.
Receives: Other: the initial gastric ultrasound; Other: the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Sensitivity and specificity of the qualitative examination of the gastric antrum for the detection of gastric fluid volume ≥ 1.25 ml/kg in the 45° semirecumbent position

    Calculation of the sensitivity and specificity

    Measured: 3 minutes after the ingestion of water

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive and negative likelihood ratio of the qualitative examination of the gastric antrum for the detection of gastric fluid volume ≥ 1.25 ml/kg in the 45° semirecumbent position

    Calculation of the positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive and negative likelihood ratio

    Measured: 3 minutes after the ingestion of water

  2. Diagnostic performance of a clinical algorithm used for the interpretation of gastric ultrasound for the detection of gastric fluid volume ≥ 1.25 ml/kg in the 45° semirecumbent position

    Calculation of the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive and negative likelihood ratiovalue, positive and negative likelihood ratio

    Measured: 3 minutes after the ingestion of water

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted12 Oct 2023
  2. Study start20 Dec 2023
  3. Primary completion15 Apr 2024
  4. Study completion15 Apr 2024

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
92 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06079268
Sponsor's protocol ID
69HCL23_0690
Acronym
QUALIGASTR
Status last verified
Sep 2025
First submitted
6 Oct 2023
Last updated
9 Sep 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Cercueil E, Henriet A, Barbe C, Santos Machado G, Bouvet L. Diagnostic accuracy of qualitative gastric ultrasound assessment for detecting high gastric fluid volume in children: a prospective randomised study. Anaesthesia. 2025 Jun;80(6):636-644. doi: 10.1111/anae.16539. Epub 2025 Jan 7.

    PubMed 39764617

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing the initial gastric ultrasound and the gastric ultrasound last 3 minutes in people with Healthy Volunteer, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Sensitivity and specificity of the qualitative examination of the gastric antrum for the detection of gastric fluid volume ≥ 1.25 ml/kg in the 45° semirecumbent position (time frame: 3 minutes after the ingestion of water). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06079268, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Sep 2025.

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