Allowing pre‐operative patients to drink: effects on patients' safety and comfort of unlimited oral water until 2 hours before anaesthesia

The effect of allowing patients unlimited access to oral water in the time up until 2 h pre-operatively was the subject of a randomised, blind, controlled trial. No effect was seen on gastric volume or pH, or on plasma osmolality, and allowing water pre-operatively was associated with a reduction in anxiety in the anaesthetic room.