CLINICAL TRIAL article
Front. Med.
Sec. Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology
Effects of Oral Fluid in Post-anesthesia Care Unit under Ultrasound Monitoring on Postoperative Recovery Quality in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Mingtao Liu
Xin Zhang
Xin Liu
Yanfang Feng
Ting Li
Jiamin Bao
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Hospital, Yinchuan, China
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Abstract
Objective: To explore the impact of early oral rehydration under gastric ultrasound monitoring on the postoperative recovery quality of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted, dividing 94 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia into an intervention group (early oral rehydration under ultrasound guidance, n = 47) and a control group (traditional fasting and no drinking, n = 47). The primary outcome measures included the Quality of Anesthesia Recovery, postoperative thirst degree, and the time to first flatus. Secondary outcome measures included the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and postoperative hospital stay. Safety measures included the cross-sectional area and volume of the antrum, and the occurrence of aspiration, reflux, and aspiration pneumonia. Results: The QoR-15 score was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (136.0 vs 114.0, P < 0.001). The thirst NRS scores at 2 hours, 6 hours, and 24 hours postoperatively were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). The recovery time of gastrointestinal function in the intervention group was 4 hours shorter than that in the control group (median time: 9.10 hours vs 13.10 hours, P < 0.001). The incidence of PONV was reduced by 21.27% (10.64% vs 31.91%, P = 0.011). The median postoperative hospital stay in the intervention group was shortened by 1 day (3.0 days vs 4.0 days, P < 0.001). Ultrasound monitoring technology revealed significant improvements in the cross-sectional area and volume of the antrum, but both remained below the safety threshold of 1.5 ml/kg. No complications such as aspiration, reflux, or aspiration pneumonia were observed throughout the observation period. Conclusion: Early oral rehydration under gastric ultrasound monitoring can safely and effectively improve the postoperative recovery quality of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia, relieve thirst, promote gastrointestinal function recovery, reduce the incidence of PONV, and shorten hospital stay. It is a perioperative management strategy with clinical promotion value.
Summary
Keywords
general anesthesia, laparoscopic surgery, Oral rehydration, point-of-care ultrasound, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, postoperative recovery quality
Received
04 November 2025
Accepted
30 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Liu, Zhang, Liu, Feng, Li and Bao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Jiamin Bao
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