No water 13 hours pre op??

[char3672 292]

That's old lazy guidelines. My hospital had the exact same guidelines and changed them two years ago to follow the most up to date material (which is you can have Clear Liquids up to two hours prior). The honest answer is nothing to eat or drink after midnight is the simple and easy to remember, there's no confusion. But if a patient is having their surgery at 7 am and another at 4 pm and they're not following NPO after midnight that's a very different thing.

And the other issue you frequently have patients who get confused with the guidelines (oh I had coffee with milk this morning) (yes back coffee counts as clear liquids). I understand the logic of simplifying things as you don't want to confuse people. But the whole nothing to eat or drink after midnight is simply outdated guidelines that some are too lazy to update because they're creatures of habit

I just did what they said. Not drinking didn't bother me, I'm not a big drinker anyway unfortunately.

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[KateBruin 344]

Water passes through your stomach so quickly anyway. If you drink right before being admitted, you still have a couple hours before they cut you open. UCLA is something like top 5 in GI and in overall hospitals so I trust them to tell me pre-op guidelines that are safe. Dehydrating me will just make me a super difficult stick.

[Joann454 1,329]

That's old lazy guidelines. My hospital had the exact same guidelines and changed them two years ago to follow the most up to date material (which is you can have clear liquids up to two hours prior). The honest answer is nothing to eat or drink after midnight is the simple and easy to remember, there's no confusion. But if a patient is having their surgery at 7 am and another at 4 pm and they're not following NPO after midnight that's a very different thing.

And the other issue you frequently have patients who get confused with the guidelines (oh I had coffee with milk this morning) (yes back coffee counts as clear liquids). I understand the logic of simplifying things as you don't want to confuse people. But the whole nothing to eat or drink after midnight is simply outdated guidelines that some are too lazy to update because they're creatures of habit

I've always wondered how this made sense when we all get the same instructions for all different timed surgeries. One nurse told me it's in case someone gets cancelled and you get bumped up. Uh huh.

[Cateyez001 28]

Hello Everyon,

I had surgery to remove my band and gallbladder and they told me not to drink after midnight however I was scheduled for surgery at 1 but didn't have it until 4 because they messed up the schedule. Anyway I was so dehydrated they couldn't get the iv in my vein. After 2 different nurse and 3 sticks later they called a specialist just to put in my iv. The nurse told me that I can drink and should drink Water so it won't happen again.

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[hmills653 365]

I had to drink something called clearfast 3 hrs before surgery. It was to help curb hunger and was made to clear the stomach after 3 hrs. Once I got to the hospital they started IV fluids. Otherwise nothing else to eat or drink after midnight. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially when having surgery on the stomach itself.

[hmills653 365]

That's old lazy guidelines. My hospital had the exact same guidelines and changed them two years ago to follow the most up to date material (which is you can have clear liquids up to two hours prior). The honest answer is nothing to eat or drink after midnight is the simple and easy to remember, there's no confusion. But if a patient is having their surgery at 7 am and another at 4 pm and they're not following NPO after midnight that's a very different thing.

And the other issue you frequently have patients who get confused with the guidelines (oh I had coffee with milk this morning) (yes back coffee counts as clear liquids). I understand the logic of simplifying things as you don't want to confuse people. But the whole nothing to eat or drink after midnight is simply outdated guidelines that some are too lazy to update because they're creatures of habit

usually if we have patients scheduled for late surgeries they are npo after Breakfast. I hadn't heard about 2hrs though. I'll have to look into that. We should all be practicing to evidence based standards that are the most up to date and in the best interest of the patient. Thanks for sharing that info.

[KateBruin 344]

I had to drink something called clearfast 3 hrs before surgery. It was to help curb hunger and was made to clear the stomach after 3 hrs. Once I got to the hospital they started IV fluids. Otherwise nothing else to eat or drink after midnight. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially when having surgery on the stomach itself.

I'm supposed to drink something very similar on my way to the hospital. It's ensures pre-surgical line. It sounds like it is to stabilize blood sugar, metabolism, etc during surgery and supposedly leads to better outcomes. Don't know if it's true but can't hurt so I'll drink it. How was the taste of yours? I think ensure's has fruit juices so should be good.

[hmills653 365]

It wasn't bad tasting. Mine was white grape flavored.

[KateBruin 344]

I had to drink something called clearfast 3 hrs before surgery. It was to help curb hunger and was made to clear the stomach after 3 hrs. Once I got to the hospital they started IV fluids. Otherwise nothing else to eat or drink after midnight. I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially when having surgery on the stomach itself.

I'm supposed to drink something very similar on my way to the hospital. It's ensures pre-surgical line. It sounds like it is to stabilize blood sugar, metabolism, etc during surgery and supposedly leads to better outcomes. Don't know if it's true but can't hurt so I'll drink it. How was the taste of yours? I think ensure's has fruit juices so should be good.

[DedicatedLady 139]

I was told to stop drinking Water at 10pm the night before by the team of people who were going to cut me open, so I didn't bother to complain, surgery was around 9am or so. Yes, I drank a lot of water at 9:59pm, but that was in preparation for post op in case I had issues with getting water down. My question is this: Who is honestly so unquestionably dehydrated prior to surgery that they are unable to go 13hrs without water??? You're sleeping most of that time anyway! Where is it that the temperature is really 45 degrees? I was in Tijuana and it only hit 37...

[KateBruin 344]

I was told to stop drinking Water at 10pm the night before by the team of people who were going to cut me open, so I didn't bother to complain, surgery was around 9am or so. Yes, I drank a lot of water at 9:59pm, but that was in preparation for post op in case I had issues with getting water down. My question is this: Who is honestly so unquestionably dehydrated prior to surgery that they are unable to go 13hrs without water??? You're sleeping most of that time anyway! Where is it that the temperature is really 45 degrees? I was in Tijuana and it only hit 37...

I've always been told to stop drinking at midnight or 8 hrs before surgery and technically it's been fine but I'm such a hard stick even if I'm hydrated that dehydrating me for 12 hours or so before surgery is tough on my arms and the staff. You get tons of Fluid during surgery but they need IV access for that. They nearly can't unless I'm hydrated. I have literally 1 vein in my left arm the nurses can find and that's if I'm hydrated.

[Denice66 6]

Asked my surgeon about a central line and we are scheduling a PICC line placement in radiology the afternoon before surgery. I blow IV's just getting in and out of bed. So I'm grateful for this option.

[LifeChangesLori 79]

Trust me, being the RN that I am, follow your surgeons advice. You really don't want to get pneumonia by reflux/vomiting that enters the lungs. It does not take much and have seen many people require longer hospitalizations because this happened and some even die. So be smart and trust your medical team, they did not get their licenses in a cracker jack box, they worked hard to heal others and have a lot of responsibility for every patient they take care of. So show some respect for the medical field, they can save you or a loved ones life!

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[summerset 5,261]

On 10.7.2017 at 3:30 AM, Joe's wife said:

Why must he go so long without Water? !

Things are handled very differently. The anesthesiologist told me it's ok to eat until midnight and to drink until 6 am (means being allowed to have clear liquids like water or tea for up to 2 h before surgery). A sip of water to take the pre-op meds immediately before surgery is also common if you're prescribed some.

[vsg Lola 1]

Many times you can't have Water after 10 pm other than maybe a sip with approved meds due to the fact that once you're on the table you can choke, puke, aspirate... etc. it's a safety thing. Make sure to have ac on and fans.