A 5-year-old is scheduled for treatment under nitrous oxide. The mother states the child has been NPO since the night before, but the child says he ate a bowl of cereal with milk. What should you do?

Correct answer: C. Reschedule the appointment

• A. Lowering the concentration does not remove the gastric contents or the risk.
• B. Proceeding on unverified NPO status accepts an avoidable aspiration risk.
• C. Correct. When NPO status is uncertain, the safe default is to reschedule. Nitrous oxide increases nausea and vomiting risk, and a full stomach raises the risk of aspiration.
• D. Repeated questioning of a 5-year-old is not a reliable basis for a safety decision — the discrepancy itself is the finding.

Note: Some protocols permit clear liquids up to 2 h and consider light nitrous sedation lower-risk. The safe board answer when NPO status is in doubt remains: reschedule.