Why do you have to fast before undergoing surgery?

Surgery is a medical procedure that is carried out by making an incision or opening a certain area of ​​the body to treat a disease or take tissue samples for diagnostic purposes. For example, in tumor sufferers, a biopsy operation will be carried out, namely taking a tissue sample that has a tumor for further analysis so that the most appropriate treatment method can be determined.

Before surgery is carried out, there are many things that patients need to pay attention to and do, one of which is fasting for several hours before the operation is carried out. However, do you know the reason behind it?  Here's the discussion!

Why do you have to fast before surgery?

There are at least two main reasons why patients are required to fast before undergoing surgery, namely:

Preventing Pulmonary Aspiration due to Anesthesia

The reason you have to fast before surgery is because of the anesthesia that will be given before the operation is carried out. Anesthesia or what is often called anesthesia is a medical procedure that aims to relieve pain during surgery.

In surgery, there are two types of anesthesia that are commonly used, namely:

1. Local anesthesia: eliminates pain only in certain areas where surgery will be carried out, so that the patient still has full awareness during the operation. For example, during surgery to remove wisdom teeth, the only part that is given anesthesia is the gums on the part of the tooth that will be removed.

2. General anesthesia: completely eliminating the patient's consciousness for a certain period of time, from before until the operation is completed. With this anesthesia the patient will not be aware of what is happening during the operation. Usually given for major operations such as heart surgery or brain surgery.

Prohibitions on eating and drinking before surgery are generally given for operations that require general anesthesia, where the patient will lose complete consciousness. In this condition, the patient will lose the body's natural reflexes, such as coughing, vomiting and other reflexes. As a result, it can cause aspiration when food or drink accidentally enters the respiratory tract.

Aspiration is a condition where a foreign substance enters the respiratory tract and cannot come out again. The respiratory tract should only allow air to enter, but sometimes other substances accidentally enter, such as saliva, food or certain drinks.

When conscious, the body's reflex to expel it is by coughing. However, while under anesthesia, the patient cannot do anything to expel foreign substances, such as food or drinks consumed before surgery. As a result, it can block the airways and also trigger lung infections from the incoming substances.

Although fasting is usually done by patients who will undergo surgery under general anesthesia, under certain conditions or for safety reasons, sometimes patients are also asked to fast before surgery under local anesthesia. This is done to minimize the risks that may occur during the operation or if something unexpected happens, so action must be taken quickly with emergency surgery which requires the care of a specialist anesthesiologist.

Overcome Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

After the operation, many patients complain of nausea and the urge to vomit. This is normal as a reaction to the digestive system readjusting after undergoing surgery. Nausea may be more pronounced in patients undergoing surgery on the digestive system. Fasting before undergoing surgery can help overcome the problem of nausea and vomiting experienced after surgery, because the stomach is empty.

How Long Is Fasting Necessary Before Surgery?

The period of fasting required is usually around 6-8 hours, for solid foods or milk. However, you can still drink water or clear liquid (tea, packaged apple juice) 2-3 hours before surgery. This time period may vary depending on the type of operation to be performed. Likewise with the types of food, drinks and routine medicines that can be consumed. All rules regarding the time limit for consumption before surgery must follow the doctor's recommendations.

What about post-surgery? How long is it allowed to return to eating and drinking?

The patient may return to eating and drinking after regaining consciousness when the effects of the anesthesia given have worn off. Eat and drink slowly from light ones first so that the digestive system has time to adapt. However, if post-operative nausea and vomiting occurs excessively to the point of interfering with eating activities, then immediately consult a doctor to get treatment.

For those of you who have symptoms and require surgery as a method of treatment, you can contact us immediately Premier Hospital Surabaya for further consultation. Here, your illness will be treated by professional specialist doctors. Even when the operation is carried out, the anesthesia process will be carried out by anesthesia specialist who has experience, thereby minimizing post-operative risks due to anesthesia.

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