Guest post by Ram Roth, MD, a board certified anesthesiologist at Mount Sinai Queens. Please remember that this information is not a substitute for direct medical advice.

As an anesthesiologist, my role is to take care of patients before, during, and after surgery.  I like to tell people that I put them to sleep, wake them up and take care of them in between. I believe it is a great privilege and responsibility to provide such an important service. Surgical anesthesia is the main focus of my practice. Other anesthesiologists devote themselves to pain management for patients.   These are both incredibly important roles in patient care and helping patients to live healthier lives.

I always meet with the patient before surgery.   I talk to the patient about the procedure, evaluate the patient’s condition, and review the patient’s medical history.  It is very important that the patient know what to expect during, before, and after the procedure.   The patient and I discuss the surgery – the type of anesthesia I will be using and how they will feel after the surgery. The anesthesiologist is also the last physician to confirm that you are ready for surgery. There are rare occasions when my role is to postpone the surgery for the patient’s safety. It is exceedingly important that patients honestly answer my questions so that I can decide if it is safe to proceed. I also answer the patient’s questions, give advice, and make sure that all conditions are optimal.

One such condition is that no food or drink should be consumed after midnight before the day of the surgery.  Your stomach should be empty during surgery.   An empty stomach reduces the chances of an aspiration and its complications.   An aspiration is when stomach contents are expelled up the esophagus (food pipe) into the lungs (wind pipe).  An aspiration can cause significant damage. If you have ever laughed or talked while eating or drinking and inadvertently gagged, you have experienced aspiration.  The good news is you can protect yourself from an aspiration by strictly following the no food/no drink rule.

The only exception is that you may take necessary medications the morning of surgery with a sip of water. Your surgeon, medical doctor, or anesthesiologist can help you determine which of your medications, if any, are necessary the morning of surgery. For additional questions you may want to ask your surgeon before surgery, click here.