A Hard Look At The Scientific Evidence for What Doctors and Hospitals Ask Patients To Do Before Surgery
Science does not support much of what I was told to do before my thirteenth surgery.
After twelve operations, I know the drill well: “Nothing to eat or drink after midnight,” and “No blood thinners for ten to fourteen days before surgery.” Those are only two of the time-honored diktats that patients are told to follow to ensure the safety of their operations.
But what is the scientific evidence supporting these instructions? Following the pandemic, we were told to “follow the science” or look only at “evidence-based results.” And that is what I did. I am a skeptic by nature and believe it is not only wise but necessary to ask if how we practice medicine needs revising.
The following is only a partial list of my pre-operative instructions. It is not meant to be a guideline or advice on what to do before surgery.
Nothing To Eat Or Drink After Midnight
The origin of this practice has to do with the risk of a patient aspirating their stomach contents while under sedation and before a breathing tube is inserted into their airway. Stomach contents are, by their nature, acidic. If a patient throws up due to sedative drugs, they are not able to clear their airway, and the…
