Avoiding liquids before surgery may be an unnecessary precaution

Most hospitals ban all drinks for two hours before surgery, but there is growing evidence that these guidelines are out of date, says Clare Wilson

By Clare Wilson

IF YOU have had surgery, you may have experienced an unpleasant aspect of it that happens even before you are wheeled into the operating theatre. People are usually told they must have nothing to drink – “nil by mouth” – for 2 hours before the surgery. But the 2-hour fluid fast tends to become longer, as operations are often delayed, meaning that people may go without anything to drink for several hours, sometimes even most of a day.

The good news is that things are changing. A new approach practised in a few hospitals around the world lets people continue drinking small …