Before Surgery Diet!

Too frequently, many patients have a concrete way of thinking.  They believe that EATING is completely different from DRINKING so they would DRINK and don’t EAT not knowing that either will have the same outcome, that is fluid or solid food can cause aspiration resulting in the same effect. The Mayo Clinic of Rochester, MN, did a study over a 9-yr period, from January of 2004 to December of 2012. During this time, they identified 57 consecutive death related to pulmonary aspiration during surgery. Further examination revealed that all these cases had one thing in common! Patients failed to follow their surgeon, Nurse Anesthetist or Anesthesiologist advice. As a result of eating or should we say not following the diet suggested by their surgeon, Nurse Anesthetist or Anesthesiologist, they experienced gag reflex during surgery. This is a condition where your stomach content begins to regurgitate into the airways involuntarily, due to the relaxed state of muscles as the result of anesthesia. When this happens, complications such as pulmonary aspiration are inevitable and many cases can be fatal.

It is imperative to uphold an adequate fasting period prior to the administration of anesthesia. We are not going to discuss any type of diet here because just like every person is unique, likewise every surgery is as well. Specific recommendations will be made to you during the preoperative evaluation as you prepare yourself for anesthesia and surgery. However, no food or drinks are recommended eight to ten hours before surgery.

The studies show that the risk of complication goes up exponentially as we get older. For example, the study conducted by the Mayo Clinic showed that out of a group pool ranging from 13-95 years of age, the average age at death were 72 years and out those 68% was male.

In conclusion, although the risk of death is quite substantial as we get older, about 33% of those deaths tracked in this study were clinically unsuspected as a result of aspiration-related pulmonary syndromes.