Fasting
If your operation is in the morning you need to stop eating at 2:00am.
If your operation is in the afternoon you can have a light breakfast (such as cereal, toast, biscuits, coffee, tea, juice) until 7:00am. You must not have solid food or chewing gums within 6 hours prior to the operation.
Clear fluids (such as tea and coffee without milk, squashed juice without bits and water) are allowed until 2 hours before your operation (until 6:00am for the morning and until 11:00 for the afternoon)
Young children can be breast fed until 4 hours before the operation.
Medication
Most of the drugs can be taken as usual until the morning of your operation. You should have received more detailed advice which drugs need to be stopped before an operation and when (e.g. bood pressure medication, diabetic medication and blood thinning drugs). Do not forget to bring in a list with your all your medications and allergies.
You might be advised to stop the following medication:
1. ACE-Inhibitors usually omit on morning of operation (such as: Captopril, Enalapril, Lisiniopril, Perindopril, Ramipril)
2. Angiotensin-2 receptor antagonists usually omit on morning of operation (such as: Candesartan, Irbesartan, Losartan, Olmesartan, Valsartan)
3. Some anti-depressants (e.g. Mono-Amino-Oxidase-Inhibitors = MAOIs)
4. Anti-platelet drugs to avoid excessive bleeding during and after an operation and to avoid the formation of a blood collection after a procedure and opeation (e.g. Clopidogrel which should be stopped several days before the operation. Aspirin may or may not be stopped depending on the procedure)
5. Diuretics (= Water tablets)
6. Anti-Dementia drugs
7. Anti-diabetics (depending on the time of the operation, the type of diabetes and when you are last allowed to eat before the operation)
8. Oral Anti-coagulants (such as Warfarin) may need to be stopped 5 days before the operation and bridging therapy with other anti-coagulants may be required (e.g. administration of Clexane=Enoxaparin depending on the individual risk to develop a blood clot in the veins)
Please ask if you are not sure about taking medication before the operation !
Smoking
Giving up smoking or cutting down helps to avoid breathing problems. Stop smoking for at least 24 hours before and after the operation.