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Original poster

Ate 5.5 before surgery admission time

45 replies

Dontthinkthrice · 25/04/2023 13:08

Hi guys, think I’m being silly but I’ve not been particularly nervous about this surgery until today and now I’ve found something to worry about!

Was supposed to not have anything to eat for 6 hours prior to admission which was 10.30… but I ate scrambled eggs, whole meal toast and avocado with half a cup of coffee and two biscuits at 10.45 (hadn’t realised the time as was rushing around getting everything done). Am really full up still.
Have scared myself on google that I’m going to choke to death under anaesthesia because I finished eating half an hour after I was supposed to.

Is this going to mean I can’t have my surgery? I don’t know what time it will be, just that my admission time is 4.30pm.

OP posts:
Original poster
Dontthinkthrice · 25/04/2023 14:26

euff · 25/04/2023 14:17

Hopefully it will be okay. The surgery may not happen at the exact time it's scheduled for anyway so there may be leeway. Are you given the actual surgery time not just admission and prep time? Also lots of emergency surgeries occur without that period fasting period. Hope all goes well.

I have the admission time of 4.30 so surgery may not be until 6 I suppose!

OP posts:
2bazookas · 25/04/2023 14:36

You must tell them right away, it puts you at risk of problems during and after the op. Which if it went ahead puts the medical staff at risk of having to cancel other patients listed for surgery after you.

They will cancel your procedure, nobody to blame but you.

Cillmantain · 25/04/2023 14:50

Let them know ASAP.
It's not just the timing but also the volume you ate.

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General health
mathanxiety · 25/04/2023 15:06

Tell the anesthesiologist what you ate and when you took your last mouthful.

They will need to know.

ifonly4 · 25/04/2023 15:11

Let us know what they say.

DD has had two operations within six hours of eating. Both times it was a GP referral direct into hospital which she wasn't expecting, and surgical team under emergency admissions happened to be available.

darjeelingrose · 25/04/2023 15:40

Just tell them, but you ate a lot. They want you on an empty stomach, you probably would have been ok with just the toast.

Cyclingforcake · 25/04/2023 16:06

I’m an anaesthetist. Just tell them your last food was at 11. Earlier I would anaesthetise you in 5pm under normal circumstances. But if your admission time is 4:30 I suspect you’re on an evening list that starts at 6pm. It takes a bit of time from walking in the ward to go through the admission paperwork, meet the anaesthetist, reconfirm the surgery etc so it’ll be fine.

Fififafa · 25/04/2023 16:12

Dontthinkthrice · 25/04/2023 14:10

No one told me to have a light meal or snack just to stop eating 6 hours before 🤦‍♀️
ive called just waiting for a call back

Weren’t you given starvation drinks to have prior to surgery? I was told to stop eating the night before surgery! Water only and those little drinks

dig135 · 25/04/2023 16:22

Presumably you're not the only patient on the surgery list for tonight in any case, unless your surgery is particularly complicated. I had private elective surgery a couple of weeks ago and there were four of us on the surgeon's list. So there's scope to possibly shuffle the order.

But, as people have said, there can be a surprising amount of time between being admitted and the surgery in any case. I saw the surgeon and anaesthetist separately in my room, pre-surgery nurse checks, blood tests etc. I'm sure they'll make the timings work.

Original poster
Dontthinkthrice · 25/04/2023 22:14

Surgery all done - the anaesthetist wasn’t concerned, even 11 was plenty of time and the quantity didn’t matter - he was pleased I chose sensible food to keep my energy levels up all afternoon!
Thanks for the unfriendly comments tho!

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 25/04/2023 22:15

Our fasting guidelines are 6 hours for food, and one hour for clear fluids.

Toddlerteaplease · 25/04/2023 22:16

We also say a light breakfast.

Original poster
Dontthinkthrice · 25/04/2023 22:16

ifonly4 · 25/04/2023 15:11

Let us know what they say.

DD has had two operations within six hours of eating. Both times it was a GP referral direct into hospital which she wasn't expecting, and surgical team under emergency admissions happened to be available.

They actually operate on 4-6 hour starvation ahead of admission and the 6 is incase you do what I did 😂 and then my actual surgery wasn’t until 6pm x

OP posts:
euff · 26/04/2023 08:32

Thank you for the update and glad you got it done and hopefully all went well for you.

Babyhope43 · 02/08/2023 12:08

Thank you so much for this. I pretty much did the same. Woke up in the morning at 8am and had a big bowl of cereal, total auto pilot. Wasn’t supposed to eat anything after 5am as admitted at 11am. I was totally freaking out. I’m sitting in the hospital right now and I was honest snd they still can do my surgery just they will take me at 2pm or later. It’s so difficult when you are juggling kids/responsibilities/work and trying to look after yourself. It would never happen if it was husband or kids as you would be all over it. But when it comes to ourselves we are so busy looking after everyone else we forget to focus on ourselves. Thank you for your post💐💐

Keykaty · 02/08/2023 12:16

How do anaesthetists cater for emergency surgeries? If say someone is brought in from a car accident, is unable to communicate and no one knows if they have had a little, a lot, or nothing to eat within the safe window?

Always wondered about that.

ditalini · 02/08/2023 12:23

Keykaty · 02/08/2023 12:16

How do anaesthetists cater for emergency surgeries? If say someone is brought in from a car accident, is unable to communicate and no one knows if they have had a little, a lot, or nothing to eat within the safe window?

Always wondered about that.

It's balancing risk. If your need for the surgery outweighs the risk that you might aspirate then you'll get the surgery.

Greybeardy · 02/08/2023 12:29

Keykaty · 02/08/2023 12:16

How do anaesthetists cater for emergency surgeries? If say someone is brought in from a car accident, is unable to communicate and no one knows if they have had a little, a lot, or nothing to eat within the safe window?

Always wondered about that.

We use a different induction technique (called a rapid sequence induction) for emergencies/non-fasted/likely to have a stomach full of stuff surgeries. That technique is higher risk in terms of exposure to drugs which can cause anaphylaxis and in terms of airway management so it's best avoided if possible (ie the completely elective scenario), but in an emergency or where the underlying pathology means a stomach may never be empty the balance of risk and benefit is in favour of doing the rapid sequence induction.

drumlit · 02/08/2023 12:32

Keykaty · 02/08/2023 12:16

How do anaesthetists cater for emergency surgeries? If say someone is brought in from a car accident, is unable to communicate and no one knows if they have had a little, a lot, or nothing to eat within the safe window?

Always wondered about that.

I was given an anti sickness drug in this case where I had eaten and had emergency surgery

Keykaty · 02/08/2023 13:02

A big thank you to the anaesthetists (anaesthesiologists) for the RSI information. I had a quick google, and it seems to involve a more rapid "knock out" via some hefty looking drugs, than would be the case in conventional anaesthesia. But I am a lay person who had her very first GA at age 64 (yep) and have been fascinated by the process ever since!

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