Presenters at an Australasian College of Aneasthetists requested a review of the current "nil by mouth" requirements in which patients must fast from midnight on the day before surgery, according to the Herald Sun.
Here are six notes:
1. David Rowe, MD, anaesthetist, stated the current guidelines cause patients unnecessary discomfort while also slowing their recovery.
2. The 'nil by mouth' procedure takes away carbohydrates from a patient's body which they need to help recover.
3. Extended periods of fasting results in the breakdown of muscle and fats necessary in the healing process.
4. Dr. Rowe has reduced the fasting time by half, from an average of 13.5 hours to 6.5 hours by having patients drink a clear carbohydrate-filled liquid up to two hours before surgery.
5. Some U.K. hospitals utilize a similar program to enhance patient outcomes by reducing starvation that results in insulin resistance and a catabolic state.
6. Dr. Rowe is advocating for the guidelines to change allowing patients to eat up until the six hour period before surgery and then consume carbohydrate-filled drinks.
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