Sydney hospitals have become the first in Australia to relax rules for fasting before surgery, letting patients drink water and even black coffee while they wait.
Two Sydney hospitals have become the first in Australia to relax rules for fasting before surgery, as growing evidence shows patients can safely drink water, juice and even black coffee while waiting for a procedure.
However, growing evidence about how quickly the stomach empties suggests there is little risk from patients having water, refined juice or black coffee and tea before going under anaesthetic. “Our big concern is that patients waiting for theatre can get quite uncomfortable when they can’t have anything to drink at all,” she said.“Staff will be hesitant to give someone a drink because they don’t know if they will need to be sent in the next two hours, and as a result people have been fasting longer than they need to.”Patients may sip on 200 millilitres of a drink, or a small cup, each hour before surgery. Previously, they needed to fast from two hours before surgery.
“We now understand the longer a normal stomach is kept empty of clear fluids, the more likely the acidic environment in the stomach could cause damage to the lung,” she said.
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