Beyond "nil per mouth": towards evidence-based fasting and medication practices

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36303/SAJAA.3426

Keywords:

preoperative fasting, perioperative care, medication management, gastric ultrasound, GLP-1 receptor agonists, patient safety

Abstract

Excessive preoperative fasting remains entrenched across South African hospitals despite clear international guidance that prolonged fasting confers no benefit and can be harmful. In this issue, Du Pisanie et al.1 add new data from district hospitals to prior tertiary-level reports, confirming that patients continue to experience fasting durations far exceeding guideline recommendations. Prolonged fasting contributes to dehydration, hypoglycaemia, patient discomfort, and increased perioperative stress, all of which may impact perioperative outcomes.2

Author Biography

GD Nethathe, University of the Witwatersrand

Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Academy of Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Australia
School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

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Published

2025-10-23

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 5 (2025)

Section

Editorial

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Copyright (c) 2025 Author/s

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