HELP...need answer about anesthesia?

Question

When you are put to sleep, why can you not have any food or liquid 8 hours beforehand?

Answer 1

So you don't throw up. Good luck. 2D

Answer 2

You can't protect your airway from food that can come up under general anesthesia. If food or stomach acid gets into the lungs it can cause a terrible pneumonia and even kill you.

However, the modern requirements are more reasonable. For instance, it is OK to have clear liquids (something you can see through, like water) up to 2 hours before anesthesia. The eight hours would apply to a meal that contained slowly digestible foods like fats and proteins. Six hours is enough for a light, non-fatty meal.

Answer 3

One of the biggest risks associated with anesthesia is aspiration of gastric contents (inhaling your vomit). Havning an empty stomach decreases that risk.

It's also less likely that you'll feel sick afterward, but that's secondary.

If you DO show up for surgery (emergently) with a full stomach, we do a "rapid sequence induction" (put you to sleep with fast-acting drugs, with pressure on your throat to prevent regurgitation) and put the breathing tube in quickly. Then we put in an orogastric tube to suck the Big Mac out of your stomach.

Answer 4

i work for a foot surgeon and the reason you cannot have anything is because lets say you have anything within those eight hours you can regurgitate or throw up while your under anesthesia and you can choke on your own vomit. of course your in the hospital having surgery and they can try to save you from choking on your vomit, but they dont know when you will vomit so chances are you can die. to avoid a tragedy like this they prefer to keep it safe..and inform you not to eat 8 hours before your surgey.

hope this helps.

Answer 5

Because anesthesia can cause nausea and vomiting. If you vomit while you're unconscious, you'll choke and it will cut off the supply of oxygen to your brain. That can kill you or put you in a coma.

Answer 6

It's to minimize the risk of aspiration of stomach contents (i.e. vomiting then having the contents go down your windpipe). Since you're knocked out, you can't protect your airway.

Answer 7

That is so one does not regurgitate when the procedure is being done when you are out. it also enables the anesthesiologist to deliver the right dose of the medication.

Answer 8

if you eat just before ,the food will be in an area they might be operating on OR you can get sick to your stomach when you wake up