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What Will the OR of the Future Look Like? - July 2014 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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3 3 J U LY 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E ANESTHESIA ALERT Starvation and dehydration Not only does fasting from midnight cause unnecessary metabolic stress for patients, but it also makes them needlessly and often extremely uncomfortable. Merely drinking water, tea or coffee does not interrupt the metabolic fast. We're still literally starving and dehy- drating our patients. They're still hungry, thirsty, anxious, nauseated and generally uncomfortable as they face the major stress of surgery. There are a couple explanations at work: • Fear of regurgitation and aspiration. There is the non-evidence-based fear that healthy patients who ingest a clear liquid 2 to 3 hours before sur- gery are at higher risk of regurgitation and aspiration. The assumption is that, following such ingestion, the patient's residual gastric volume (RGV) and/or residual gastric acidity (RGA) will be greater than that of patients Ever since anesthesiologist M. Lou Marsh, MD, found that most surgery postponements and cancellations were due to violations of the pre-op fasting rules, she's focused on her 2 passions: pre-op patient hydration and nutrition. She formulated and patented a clear liq- uid, carbohydrate-rich, pre-op beverage, Clearfast, which is designed for patient consumption 2 hours before surgery. Clearfast is quickly absorbed by the body, leaving the stomach empty and the patient not starving. Patients who had Clearfast 2 to 3 hours pre- op versus those who fasted traditionally from midnight were 6 times more likely to describe themselves as comfortable, studies have found. — Dan O'Connor PRE-OP BEVERAGE The Inventor of a Pre-Surgery Drink OSE_1407_part1_Layout 1 7/3/14 9:00 AM Page 33

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