Fasting requirements
Inhalation of food or stomach contents is very dangerous. You may develop pneumonia, which will set back your recovery several weeks.
We apologise for any inconvenience and discomfort from fasting but adequate fasting is absolutely vital for a safe anaesthetic.
You should fast even if you are having a local anaesthetic or a sedation technique, as you never know if a general anaesthetic will be needed, especially if complications occur.
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Fasting requirements must be strictly followed
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Failure to follow fasting requirements may result in delayed or cancelled surgery
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Fasting means not having anything to eat or drink.
Please DO NOT have anything to eat or drink from midnight if your surgery is scheduled for the morning. If your surgery is scheduled for the afternoon, you may have a light breakfast (Toast, tea or coffee) before 7 am.
We apologise if you have been given contradicting information regarding fasting instructions. Dr Lim wishes to be as safe as possible and urge you to fast from midnight or 7 am as he regards this as the safest practice. In addition, it may be possible to proceed with your surgery earlier if there has been a cancellation. This will not be possible if you have not had an adequate fasting period.
Please note that if you have not had adequate time for fasting, your surgery may have to be delayed or rescheduled.
Young children may have small amounts of water up to 2 hours before surgery. This is because young children dehydrate very quickly. Solid food should still be avoided.
