FOR PATIENTS

Fasting

It is crucial for your safety that you follow fasting instructions.

Patients can have limited solid food intake (light meal) until six hours before arriving at hospital to ensure your stomach is empty. After ceasing food, you may have small amounts of clear fluid including water, black tea, black coffee and clear apple juice (no more than 250ml) until two hours before your scheduled arrival time to hospital.

Failure to follow these instructions greatly increases the chances of serious adverse complications under anaesthetic and as such, your procedure may be delayed until you are properly fasted or potentially cancelled on the day.

Medications

Please bring all current medications to hospital. Please continue any regular medications up to and including the day of surgery unless advised by your anaesthetist or surgeon. These can be taken with a small amount of water up 2 hours prior to your surgery.

Your anaesthetist may advise you to stop certain medications on the day of surgery. You should also cease any medication that your surgeon has asked you to stop (e.g. blood thinners - Aspirin, Plavix, Iscover, Warfarin etc)

If you have any concerns or questions about what you should do regarding your medications, please email reception@gabbaanaesthesia.com.au before your surgery.

Diabetic Patients- if you take insulin, please contact the rooms before the day of admission to discuss an insulin plan for your day of surgery

Weight Loss Patients- GLP1 Receptor Agonists*

If you are taking medications such as Ozempic (Semaglutide), Trulicity, Wegovy, Byetta, or Victoza. It is essential that you follow a fluid-only diet for the 24 hours prior to surgery.

Failure to do so will result in your procedure being rescheduled. These medications can significantly delay emptying your stomach which poses a serious risk of aspiration during anaesthesia, potentially causing severe infection or even death.

Permitted fluids include:

• Water
• Clear juices
• Sports drinks
• Tea or coffee (without milk)
• Clear soup or broth
• All fluid intake must stop 6 hours before your anaesthetic

For more information on how you must fast if you are taking a GLP1 receptor agonist, please follow this link to the patient information form, produced by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA).

Know the risks

Australia is one of the safest places in the world to have an anaesthetic.

Our anaesthetists are highly trained specialist doctors having spent 13 years in training to ensure the safety of their patients and minimise the risk of experiencing complications during surgery.

Minor complications may include nausea and vomiting; drowsiness; feeling faint; headache; sore throat or pain & bruising at the site of an injection.

Major complications which are very rare include dental damage; drug reactions (usually allergy); heart attack and stroke; lung infections; nerve injury; recall during surgery or death.