PREPARATION
FASTING
For a safe anaesthetic:
YOUR MEDICATION
SMOKING
If you have any concerns or questions about these instructions please contact me.
FASTING
For a safe anaesthetic:
- Stop eating solid food and milk 6 hours before your hospital admission time. This includes avoiding milk in coffee and tea, and alcohol
- Fasting reduces the risk of regurgitating stomach contents which, if it occurs, may lead to damage to the lungs by stomach acid
- If these instructions are not followed your surgery will be deferred to another time/date
- You may continue drinking small sips of water up until 2 hours before your hospital admission
- Tablets can be taken at any time before your operation with small sips of water
YOUR MEDICATION
- Please bring a medication list with you to hospital on the day of surgery
- Apart from diabetic medications and blood thinners, you should take all your normal medications on the day of surgery with a sip of water. These include blood pressure medications, pain killers, heart medications and puffers
- If you are unsure about whether to continue or stop any medication please contact me
- Blood Thinners eg. Aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix, Iscover), warfarin, dabigatran (Pradaxa), apixaban (Eliquis) etc.
- Depending on your procedure and reason for taking blood thinners they may need to be ceased a few days prior to surgery
- Your surgeon may advise you, otherwise please contact me for instructions
- Diabetes
- Do not take any oral (tablet) diabetic medications on the day of your operation
- If you normally take insulin you will require a reduced dose on the morning of your operation. Please contact me to discuss your insulin regime
- IMPORTANT: if you are taking a diabetes medication that has a generic name ending in -ozin eg. dapaglifolozin, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, ertugliflozin, these medications need to be stopped 3 days prior to moderate/major surgery (usually any surgery that requires overnight admission). Common trade names include jardiance, forxiga, xigduo, glyxambi. Please contact me to discuss further.
SMOKING
- Smoking increases the risks during an anaesthetic and recovery
- Smoking may also increase your risk of surgical complications eg. Infection, delayed/poor wound healing
- You are advised to stop smoking 6 weeks prior to your procedure
- At the very minimum smoking should be avoided 48 hrs prior
- Nicotine replacement therapy can be organized via your GP
If you have any concerns or questions about these instructions please contact me.