Do gastric residual volumes correlate with the incidence of regurgitation, aspiration or pneumonia?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Only regurgitation
• D. Only pneumonia

Answer: (B)

Gastric residual volume simply reflects how much content remains in the stomach at a given moment, not the likelihood of stomach contents reaching the airway. Regurgitation and aspiration depend on a mix of factors—gastric emptying, timing of feeds, gastric contents reaching the esophagus, airway protective reflexes, patient positioning, sedation or ventilation, and other pathophysiologic processes. Because these factors interact in complex ways, studies have not shown a consistent, reliable link between high residual volumes and regurgitation, aspiration, or pneumonia. In practice, routine GRV monitoring often does not predict these complications well, and relying on GRV alone to guide feeding can lead to unnecessary feeding interruptions.