The risk of regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration in a patient after gastric banding.

Laparoscopic gastric banding is a popular surgical treatment performed to control morbid obesity all over the world. Regurgitation of food material from stomach is very common in these patients. Remnants of food material may risk the airway for pulmonary aspiration. This case experience shows that despite the extended fasting period, airway is not protected from the risk of aspiration. Delayed gastric emptying and altered gastroesophageal motility keep the food materials in the stomach and precipitate regurgitation. So any such patient should be considered as full stomach. Airway manipulation in these patients should be under direct laryngoscopic vision and rapid sequence induction with endotracheal intubation should be considered as mandatory for general anesthesia.