PATIENT INFORMATION
When should I stop eating and drinking?
This is general information, not a personal fasting instruction. For many healthy adults having an elective procedure, commonly used minimum fasting intervals include clear liquids until about 2 hours before anaesthesia, and a light meal or non-human milk until about 6 hours before. Fatty, fried or heavy meals usually require longer.
But there is no single timetable that is safe for every patient. Pregnancy, diabetes, obesity, reflux or swallowing disorders, gastroparesis, opioid use, previous gastric surgery, bowel obstruction, emergency surgery and some medicines can change aspiration risk. Hospitals may also use local protocols.
This page explains common fasting principles; it is not a fasting instruction for an individual patient. Follow the schedule given for your own procedure. If you have eaten or drunk outside those instructions, tell the team responsible for your procedure and do not make your own decision about whether it is safe to proceed.