Duration of fasting period in patients undergoing elective surgery

Abstract Background and Purpose: Preoperative fast is the essential part of preoperative care for those patients who are candidates for elective surgery. Fast prolonging is associated with side effects such as: sweating, irritability, decrease in blood sugar and restlessness. Despite the noticeable changes in fast guidelines and its application in many countries, it seems that in Iran these rules are not applicable very much.The aim of this research is to detect the fasting time in patients who are candidates for elective surgery. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 124 patients, who were candidates for elective surgery, in teaching hospitals in Mashhad. Data had been gathered by a questionnaire prepared by researchers, after confirming its validity and reliability by present in operation rooms. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: The research findings indicate that 53.6 percent of patients were female. Patients were between the ages of 2-69. Minimum fasting time was 3 hours and the maximum 96 with the average of12.Waiting time maximum after getting transferred to operating rooms till the start of the operation was 4 hours. Conclusion: The results indicate patients of different age groups endure long fasting period which can affect the illness process and surgery outcome considerably. Some of the reasons could be attributed to staff’s lack of knowledge about guidelines, not having on scheduled transfer to operation rooms and patients being afraid of side effects anesthesia like vomiting and nausea.