Preparing for your anaesthetic

Why do I have to fast before an anaesthetic?

An anaesthetic relaxes the reflexes that normally stop stomach contents entering your lungs. An empty stomach removes that risk — which is why fasting is a safety requirement, not a formality, and why surgery is delayed or cancelled if it hasn't been followed. For most adults the standard guidance is:

• No food (including milk drinks, lollies and chewing gum) from 6 hours before your admission time.
• Clear fluids only (water, clear apple juice, black tea or coffee — anything you can read newsprint through) until 2 hours before, then nothing.

Children's fasting times differ and will be given to you specifically by the hospital. Staying hydrated with clear fluids up to the 2-hour mark actually helps your recovery — fasting doesn't mean going thirsty all night.

What about my regular medications?

Most regular medications should be continued, including on the morning of surgery with a small sip of water. The important exceptions need individual advice:

• Blood thinners (warfarin, clopidogrel, apixaban, rivaroxaban and similar) — whether and when to stop is a specific decision made by your surgeon and anaesthetist. Never stop these on your own.
• Diabetes medications and insulin — doses usually change while fasting; you'll be given a specific plan.
• Weight-loss injections (semaglutide and similar) — these slow stomach emptying and your anaesthetist needs to know about them. List them on your booking form.

The safest approach: list everything you take — prescribed, over-the-counter and herbal — on your booking form, and bring the list (or the boxes) with you on the day.

Smoking, vaping and alcohol

Smoking and vaping irritate your airways and reduce the oxygen your blood can carry — both matter under anaesthesia. Even 24 hours without smoking improves things; weeks are better; and surgery is one of the most effective prompts to stop for good. Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before your anaesthetic, and be honest on your booking form about your usual intake — it changes how anaesthetic drugs behave, and your anaesthetist plans around facts, not judgements.

What happens on the day?

1. Admission — arrive at the time the hospital gives you, fasted, with your medication list, health fund card and Medicare card.
2. Meeting your anaesthetist — before theatre, your anaesthetist talks through your health, your fasting, and the planned anaesthetic, and answers your questions. Meet our anaesthetists beforehand if you'd like to put a face to the name.
3. The anaesthetic — your anaesthetist stays with you for the entire procedure, monitoring and adjusting continuously.
4. Recovery — you wake in the recovery unit under the care of specialised nurses, with your anaesthetist responsible until you're stable. Pain relief and anti-nausea medication are already planned.

Going home: the 24-hour rules

If you're going home the same day, anaesthetic drugs can affect your judgement and reflexes well after you feel normal. For 24 hours after a general anaesthetic or sedation:

• Don't drive any vehicle or ride a bike — your insurance may not cover you, quite apart from the safety issue.
• Don't make important decisions or sign legal documents.
• Don't drink alcohol, and don't operate machinery or cook unsupervised.
• Have a responsible adult take you home and stay with you overnight.

If something doesn't feel right after you're home, contact the hospital on the number on your discharge paperwork — or in an emergency, call 000.