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
Because anesthesia stops your body’s natural reflexes. So if you throw up during surgery, there’s a risk of you choking on your own vomit because your body isn’t able to swallow it back down or cough it right up. 8+hrs is for them to be absolutely sure that food has been completely digested and your stomach is empty to negate this risk.
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