Why cant you eat or drink 6 hours before a surgery

Question

Why cant you eat or drink 6 hours before a surgery

Answer 1

Fasting before surgery is intended to keep the stomach empty to prevent vomiting that could cause a patient to choke to death or to aspirate stomach contents into the lungs and develop pneumonia.

The danger actually isn't vomiting under general anesthesia, it's vomiting under *induction* of general anesthesia. When the patient is under, there is an endotracheal tube with a balloon on it in the trachea, which prevents aspiration of any vomitus into the airway. It's getting to that situation that is worrisome since there is a transition period as the patient is going under (being "induced") where there is no tube protecting the airway, but they're deep enough that their reflexes are gone and they can't protect their own airway. It's that 15 second period of time that worries anesthetists, since vomiting/aspiration is the most common dangerous anesthetic complication these days. In reality, it is quite rare.....so rare in fact that it has led some anesthesiologists to suggest that the concept of fasting for 8 hours before surgery is unnecessary and may cause more harm than good.

Research has shown that the stomach empties much faster than previously thought, and these dire complications of surgery are rare with modern anesthetic techniques. In fact, studies have shown that the incidence of pulmonary aspiration (food making its way into the lungs) was not reduced by prolonged fasting.

Some experts have suggested that fasting is associated not only with the discomfort of hunger but also with dehydration, headaches, nausea, and dizziness in some people.

Answer 2

choking hazard. you could die

Answer 3

Because usually, people feel nauseous after surgery, and if you eat before, you will have food in your stomach, and throw up, which is annoying.