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By Mayo Clinic staffGeneral anesthesia blunts your body's natural inclination to retain food in your stomach and keep it out of your lungs. That's why it's important to follow your doctor's instructions about when to stop eating and drinking prior to surgery. In most cases, you should start fasting about six hours before your procedure.
Your doctor may tell you to take certain medications with a small sip of water during your fasting time. You may need to avoid some medications, such as blood thinners like aspirin, for at least a week before your procedure. Some vitamins and herbal remedies also keep your blood from clotting normally, so discuss the types of dietary supplements you take with your doctor.
If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor about altering your diabetes medication during the fasting period. Usually you will not take oral diabetes medication the morning of surgery, and if you take insulin a reduced dose will be recommended.
If you have sleep apnea and use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine bring it with you to the surgery. As you awaken from anesthesia the CPAP machine can help you breathe more normally.
- White PF, et al. General anesthetics. In: Katzung BG, et al. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology. 11th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=4512662. Accessed April 25, 2010.
- Life support and anesthesia. In: Klingensmith ME, et al. Washington Manual of Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-2.3.1b/ovidweb.cgi. Accessed April 26, 2010.
- Who is an anesthesiologist? Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/who_is_anesthesiologist.aspx. Accessed April 25, 2010.
- Anesthesia topics. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/medical_specialties.aspx. Accessed April 25, 2010.
- Postanesthesia care. In: Morgan EG, et al. Clinical Anesthesiology. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=895730&searchStr=anesthesia%2c+general#895730. Accessed April 25, 2010.
- Dorian RS. Anesthesia of the surgical patient. In: Brunicardi CF, et al. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=50. Accessed April 25, 2010.
- Frequently asked questions. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/faqs.aspx. Accessed April 25, 2010.
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