I know patients fast prior to surgery to prevent aspiration, pneumonia, and possible death but why 8+ hours before surgery but normal people can eat a couple hours before bed and not aspirate?
In: Biology
Most people with general anesthesia will have a breathing tube placed for the surgery. The process of placing a breathing tube requires both sedation and paralysis. A side effect of the paralytic medication is that it causes the muscles that usually keep food out of your esophagus (the lower esophageal sphincter) to relax as well, which while you are lying flat can cause stomach contents to reflux up into your airway during the intubation (breathing tube placement) attempt.
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