Should I Take My Blood Pressure Medications Before Surgery?
Should I Take My Blood Pressure Medications Before Surgery? Answer: You should generally avoid eating or drinking anything except sips of water for about 12 hours before any scheduled surgical procedure. Regardless of whether the surgery is scheduled as an outpatient (you go home afterward) or inpatient (you stay in the hospital for at least one night) procedure, the most common way to express this 12 hour rule is for doctors to say that you shouldn t eat or drink anything after midnight on the day prior to surgery. These rules were created to minimize the risks associated with inserting breathing tubes during surgery. For all surgeries that require the patient to be asleep, a breathing tube is placed to help protect the airway during the surgery. Because this can stimulate the gag reflex, it is important that the stomach be empty before inserting the tube. Otherwise, material from the stomach could enter the lungs and lead to potentially dangerous complications.
