Why the study?
Does a liberal fasting policy of clear fluids before surgery improve patient well-being and reduce fasting duration in patients undergoing surgery?
Does a liberal fasting policy of clear fluids before surgery improve patient well-being and reduce fasting duration in patients undergoing surgery?
Allowing patients to drink clear fluids within 2 hours before anesthesia improves well-being and reduces fasting duration without exceeding clinically accepted risk margins.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support liberal clear-fluid policies in surgical pathways; leaves open randomized confirmation of regurgitation safety.
Results of this quality improvement study suggest that a liberal fasting policy was associated with a clinically relevant reduction in fasting duration and improved patient well-being with regard to preoperative thirst and PONV. Although a slightly higher incidence of regurgitation could not be ruled out, wider implementation of such a policy may be advocated as results are still within the clinically accepted risks margins. Results suggest that surgical procedures in patients who drink clear fluids within 2 hours before anticipated anesthesia should not be postponed or canceled.
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Marsman et al. (2023) studied this question.
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