Doctors are now saying it's OK for people facing surgery to have a few sips of water - or even a little black coffee - before they go to the hospital.
Physicians attending the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting here said Monday that enough studies have been done to warrant easing the absolute restriction against clear liquids before surgery.Medical authorities say solid food particles or stomach acids that back up from the stomach and enter the lungs while a patient is under anesthesia can produce serious, sometimes life-threatening, consequences.
But liquids like water, apple juice and black coffee consumed up until two hours before surgery make little difference, said Dr. Robert Stoelting of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.
Doctors previously were taught to send patients home without surgery if they had so much as swallowed water while brushing their teeth. Evidence now shows that clear liquids actually help remove other foods from the system, said White.