Strict adherence to a certain set of rules guarantees a quick recovery after surgery and anesthesia. Is it possible to drink water and other liquids after abdominal surgery and general anesthesia?

In order to perform a major abdominal operation, it is not enough to just turn off pain sensitivity. As a rule, such interventions require full general anesthesia (anesthesia), which not only blocks pain and puts the person into medicated sleep, but also relaxes muscle fibers, which is necessary to facilitate surgical access.

The anesthesiologist talks with the patient on the eve of surgery

Used for anesthesia medicines from the group narcotic analgesics, which provide strong effect on all brain structures, inhibiting or changing automatic reflexes. Carrying out such a procedure requires compliance certain rules before and after anesthesia. Often patients do not understand why doctors prohibit drinking water immediately after anesthesia. There are several reasons for this.

During surgical stage During anesthesia, the pharyngeal (swallowing) reflex is suppressed, and temporary paralysis of the pharyngeal muscles occurs. During recovery from anesthesia, reflexes gradually return, but the patient still needs some time to restore swallowing function. This is the first reason why you should not drink water immediately after anesthesia. If you are very thirsty, you can moisten your lips and mouth with water without swallowing it. Otherwise, water may enter the trachea and lungs, causing aspiration. Along with the fluid, microbes will also enter the trachea, which can cause the development of aspiration pneumonia. In addition to aspiration, water can block air access to the pulmonary alveoli, causing asphyxia.

Nausea and vomiting

The effect of narcotic drugs on the centers of the brain is always accompanied by a toxic effect, therefore, in the first hours after surgery, the patient often notes nausea - this is the second reason why you should not drink water after anesthesia. If you drink liquid immediately after anesthesia, you can provoke vomiting, which is unacceptable after surgical interventions, since abdominal tension can disrupt hemostasis in the wound and cause deformation of the postoperative suture.

Operations on the gastrointestinal tract

After operations on the digestive tube, after drinking large quantities liquid immediately after anesthesia can increase the pressure inside the intestine itself, thereby causing insolvency surgical sutures, which can lead to serious complications in postoperative period. This is the third reason why you should not drink any water after anesthesia.

How much fluid should I drink in the later postoperative period?

As a rule, before the operation, the anesthesiologist tells the patient in detail about how to behave in the postoperative period, but given that the patient’s brain is exposed to narcotic effects, the doctor controls the effect of anesthetics not only in the operating room, but also after the patient awakens, before full recovery all functions and reflexes of the body. Therefore, in each specific case, depending on the depth and duration of anesthesia, as well as the characteristics of the anesthetic drug used, the anesthesiologist will give recommendations after the patient awakens from drug sleep, how long you should not drink water and how to maintain the correct drinking regime after anesthesia.

About the features drinking regime The doctor will tell you after the operation

In most cases, you cannot drink water for a maximum of two hours after anesthesia, then you are allowed to drink in small sips, and after five to six hours the patient is recommended to drink plenty of fluids. This regimen is recommended for patients to stimulate kidney function and quickly remove toxic metabolic products of narcotic drugs that were used for anesthesia from the body.

However, your drinking regime must be agreed with your doctor, since under certain conditions excess liquid will not help, but will harm the patient. Such conditions include renal failure, operations on the kidneys, ureters, bladder, stomach and intestines. In such cases, the doctor will tell you how much water you can drink optimally, and will also prescribe medications that neutralize the effect of toxic metabolites in the body.

Patients often wonder why doctors prohibit any fluids after surgery. After all, when you come to your senses after anesthesia, your mouth is dry, and you really want to take a couple of sips of water. But this is not always possible. How much time must pass after the operation before you can drink, and what will happen if you break this ban?

How does water affect the patient’s condition after surgery?

If it was a minor operation, for example, to remove an ingrown nail, paronychia or other simple manipulations under local anesthesia, then you can and even need to drink. It is prohibited to consume liquids only after major surgical interventions performed under general anesthesia. But why can’t you drink after anesthesia?

Anesthesia is not only a drug-induced sleep during which the patient does not feel anything. This also suppresses basic reflexes so that doctors can calmly carry out all the necessary manipulations. When the patient awakens, his reflexes have not yet been fully restored (in particular, swallowing). And if a person tries to drink, the water is not swallowed and enters the lungs, causing a coughing attack or even pneumonia.

Drugs that are used for general anesthesia, depress the brain centers with their toxic influence. And a person waking up after surgery may feel nauseous. One sip of water will be enough to provoke vomiting, which in this state is definitely unnecessary.

Is it possible to drink water after abdominal surgery?

Abdominal surgery is, in principle, the most dangerous type of surgical intervention. They require an extensive incision abdominal cavity, and this is a large and long-healing suture. And everything where you need to strain your abs should be excluded. And this is laughter, coughing, vomiting. The last two can be triggered by one sip of water, so it’s better not to risk it.

By the way! Even when the swallowing reflex is restored and the doctor allows you to drink, you need to do this extremely carefully, because a cough can be provoked simply by choking.

Another reason why you should not drink water after abdominal surgery is the possibility of discrepancy internal seams. If the intervention was carried out on the gastrointestinal tract, you need to wait some time so that the sutures on the stomach, duodenum or the intestines have “grabbed” at least a little. Liquid may cause internal bleeding or inflammation.

How long should you not drink after surgery?

The most concerning question for patients is how long after anesthesia can they drink? If the operation was not related to the digestive organs, then drinking is allowed after 1.5-2 hours. But it is recommended to do this only after the “approval” of the doctor.

After abdominal surgery associated with the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to wait longer: 5-7 hours. If you are thirsty, you can wet your lips with cool water or rinse your mouth. The latter must be done with the help of a relative or nurse. The assistant should raise the patient's head, first bring a cup to his lips, and then a bowl into which the water will be spat out.

By the way! Some specific operations require you to stop drinking for even longer periods of time. For example, some interventions on the ENT organs, esophagus, stomach.

What liquids can and cannot be consumed?

The best liquid to quench a person's thirst is water. It is her doctors who allow her to drink after a certain time. On the day of surgery, you should not drink anything else except water. And it should be:

boiled;
room temperature;
still;
unsweetened;
non-mineral.

Gradually, again with the doctor’s permission, you can introduce other liquids: diluted fruit drinks, juices, compotes, herbal decoctions. But when taking any medications, you still need to wash them down with water. It is not recommended to drink tea, coffee, cocoa and lemonade for at least 10 days after surgery.

Attention! Saliva is not a liquid, but a biological medium of the body, so it can be swallowed. But if salivation after abdominal surgery is very increased, the doctor may ask the patient to spit saliva to avoid complications.

Consequences of violating a doctor's order

So, let's summarize and define everything possible consequences, which can result from just one sip of water taken at the wrong time. Firstly, immediately after anesthesia, you can easily choke due to the lack of a swallowing reflex. Secondly, you can choke, cough and damage your stitches. Thirdly, you can provoke vomiting and also damage the stitches. Fourthly, internal bleeding can be provoked if the gastrointestinal tract has been operated on.

It turns out that water is not always life-giving moisture. Sometimes, drinking even a little can seriously harm yourself. Therefore, you need to be patient. You don’t have to worry about dehydration: IVs restore water-salt balance in the body, so thirst after surgery is just a somatic phenomenon.

Why can't you drink after general anesthesia?

It’s very simple: when under anesthesia, you don’t feel your body, this means that your body completely has no reflexes or any feelings. Even if you woke up, this does not mean that the anesthesia has ended, your body is still under anesthesia, so you should not take any food or food, so as not to cause disorders.

When our son had surgery under general anesthesia, the doctor told him not to give him water, but only to wet his lips. The mother did just that, but as soon as she left for a minute, the son asked his friends and neighbors in the ward to give him something to drink. Of course they gave it, after which my son vomited violently for half an hour.

Therefore, you should not give a drink to a person after general anesthesia for 2 hours. And then you can do a little, but only water and no juices or other drinks - they also cause vomiting.

drugs that are used for general anesthesia paralyze the swallowing reflex, which can cause either severe vomiting or choking, being unable to swallow water and choking. It will take some time for the muscles to begin working adequately again. But you can wet your lips.

After general anesthesia, you are not allowed to drink for several hours, and sometimes even until next day. Water may cause vomiting. Some of the water may get into Airways and cause lung problems.

I know from myself how very thirsty I was after the operation, but until the next day the doctor only allowed me to wet my lips.

Because the consequences will be in the form of vomiting if you drink

Swallowing function is temporarily disabled after general anesthesia

The body begins to perceive any liquid completely differently.

So even if you really want it, you’ll have to wait a while

The whole point is that narcotic drugs, which are used for anesthesia, suppress all reflexes of the body. Among others, the swallowing reflex.

After awakening at the end of the operation, reflexes are not restored immediately, but after a certain period of time.

If you drink water in such a post-anesthesia state, then vomiting, and subsequently aspiration of vomit, is very likely. And it is for this reason that it is forbidden to drink water immediately after anesthesia.

You cannot drink or eat after general anesthesia for one simple reason: drugs used during general anesthesia (anesthesia) suppress the swallowing reflex. Therefore, if a person who has not yet completely recovered from anesthesia tries to drink, he may choke, water will enter the respiratory tract, this will cause a reflex spasm vocal cords with swelling of the subglottic space, and this is dangerous for suffocation and is described in medicine under the name of aspiration pneumonitis or Mendelssohn syndrome. This is the main reason. But when a person has finally woken up after anesthesia and can speak clearly and swallow well, then he is not only allowed, but MUST be given something to drink! BUT! Only the anesthesiologist should decide whether it is possible to give food and drink after anesthesia!

You can't drink water, you can only wet your lips. If the pressure is normal and general state satisfactory - you can take a tiny sip. And if at least something is wrong, a sip will provoke severe vomiting

Any person who is about to have surgery under general anesthesia is wondering why you can’t eat before going under anesthesia? This applies to a greater extent to intravenous and general anesthesia with tracheal intubation and the use of relaxants and transfer to mechanical ventilation ( artificial ventilation lungs).

Why can't you eat before anesthesia?

In anesthesiology there is a so-called “problem full stomach" What is it and how to understand it? We, anesthesiologists, consider any patient during a planned operation, or even more so an emergency one, as a patient with a full stomach, that is, there is food in his stomach, abdomen and intestines. With intravenous anesthesia (especially general with the use of muscle relaxants), some reflexes are inhibited, including sphincters (these are circular muscles), which close the exit from Bladder and from the anus (anus), exit from the stomach into the esophagus.

What is the danger of a “full stomach”? In connection with the processes described above, regurgitation is possible during induction of anesthesia - the reflux of acidic gastric contents into oral cavity followed by aspiration into the trachea and lungs with the development of Mendelssohn's syndrome (according to the author). At the same time, severe respiratory failure, broncho and bronchiole spasm, with pulmonary edema, cardiac arrest is possible, in other words, clinical death occurs.

That is, to the question of whether it is possible to eat before anesthesia, the answer is unequivocal - it is possible, but at least 12 hours before the operation.

Why you shouldn’t drink before and after anesthesia

You can drink half a glass of water over 2-3 hours, if you really want it, it leaves the stomach in just half an hour. For prevention, in some cases we give antacids and alkaline drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric contents.

But it is advisable to give up alcohol three days before surgery, a maximum of one day. This precaution is necessary because alcohol thins the blood, which can cause surgical intervention extensive bleeding.

In addition, you should not drink liquids for 2 hours after anesthesia, then you should do this in small sips, and only after 5-6 hours after the operation it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids. This is due to the fact that general anesthesia suppresses the swallowing reflex, everything returns to normal gradually. That is, the patient needs some time for the paralysis of the pharynx to pass, otherwise he will simply choke.

In addition, nausea is common after anesthesia, and drinking water can lead to vomiting.

What can you eat after general anesthesia?

What can you eat after surgery? Much depends on what organ it was performed on. There are diets according to Pevzner (author), general recommendations, just gentle nutrition. In any case, you need to exclude for at least six months: salty, spicy, fried, smoked foods, sausages, carbonated drinks, vegetables that cause increased gas formation, alcohol, smoking. Boiled, steamed, low-fat varieties fish and meat, chicken bouillon, buckwheat and rice porridge, egg omelet, natural juices. Of course, your doctor will tell you in detail about what you can eat after epidural anesthesia or any other type of pain relief.

How soon can you eat after anesthesia?

It depends on which organ the operation was performed on and under what anesthesia. General rule, how long after you can eat after general anesthesia - 10-12 hours. You can drink water almost immediately after waking up, when the patient has come to his senses, is aware of himself as a person, understands where he is, and is oriented in time and place. If the operation was performed on the stomach or intestines, you cannot eat for a day or more, depending on the postoperative condition of the patient. During this period, doctors prescribe drips with saline, glucose, polyionic solutions and, if necessary, solutions for parenteral nutrition.

Interesting: when borderline states between life and death, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, hypoxia occurs - oxygen starvation, the controlling functions of the cerebral cortex are turned off - the sphincters relax. This is why, also when a person is hanged or drowned, involuntary urination and defecation almost always occur.

How soon can you eat after an epidural or spinal anesthesia? The person is conscious, but the nutritional recommendations are the same as after general anesthesia; you can start eating after 6-8 hours. The diet is gentle, light, in small portions, you can drink almost every hour, in small sips, little by little.

How long after dental anesthesia can you eat? If it is removed, then until the bleeding stops. The diet must be followed until the wound heals. Avoid hot, spicy, salty, and alcoholic foods, as they increase bleeding.

Concerning infants- they cannot starve, they can give breastfeeding and drink water when the child wakes up, the sucking and swallowing reflexes, motor activity, crying are restored, this external signs baby activity. But limit the volume! Better little by little but more often.

It is important to know!

The successful outcome of any operation under general anesthesia directly depends on:

From the initial state of health of the patient, accompanying chronic diseases, allergies to medications, scents of flowers, cosmetics, etc., there are also patients who are polyallergic to almost everything! But this is rare.
Bad habits – smoking, alcohol abuse, drug addiction. Therefore, we recommend before planned operation in one or two weeks, do not smoke and eliminate any alcoholic beverages!
Technical equipment of the hospital with anesthesia and respiratory equipment and medications for anesthesia and resuscitation.
On the qualifications and level of training of the anesthesiologist. The skill of an anesthesiologist is not always directly related to work experience; much depends on personal qualities and understanding of the degree of responsibility.
What kind of surgery, emergency or planned? Anesthesia for emergency surgery complicates the work of the anesthesiologist by an order of magnitude. Most emergency patients, especially on holidays, are admitted to the hospital after a feast, in varying degrees of condition alcohol intoxication and with a full stomach.

Advice! Please DO NOT eat before surgery, have mercy on yourself and the anesthesiologist!

When the question arises about conducting surgical operation, an anesthesiologist gets involved. This is a doctor who provides anesthesia to the patient during major operations. Indeed, to implement such interventions, disabling local pain sensitivity alone is not enough. The patient requires general anesthesia.

Such procedures not only stop painful impulses and plunge the patient into a general medicated sleep, but also completely relax muscle tissue. This makes it easier for the surgeon to perform operations. But general anesthesia requires careful preparation of the patient and a precisely adjusted volume of medication. With general anesthesia, there are rules for getting out of this state and a number of prohibitions. Why can’t you drink water after anesthesia, how can this threaten the patient?

If the required rules are followed after recovery from anesthesia, the patient’s condition will quickly return to normal.

To put the patient into a state deep sleep, doctors use medications a type of analgesic with a narcotic effect. These medications have a powerful effect on all parts of the brain. In this case, all human reflexes are completely stopped (or changed).

Carrying out general anesthesia requires a competent approach and careful adherence to the rules before and after the procedure. After all, the anesthesiologist uses lethal dangerous drugs, which affect the functioning of the cardiac, nervous and respiratory systems.

IN modern medicine Two types of medications are used for anesthesia:

Anticholinergics.
Muscle relaxants.

Anticholinergics

These are medications that directly affect acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter whose task is to carry out neuromuscular transmission). During anesthesia, synthetic anticholinergics are widely used, which contain special compounds that have wide range actions.

The essence of the procedure

The use of synthetic anticholinergics greatly reduces the chances of various adverse reactions occurring in a patient after anesthesia.

The vast majority of modern anticholinergics also have such beneficial effects, How:

anesthetic;
antispasmodic;
antihistamine;
local anesthetic.

Muscle relaxants

These drugs are used in modern anesthesia, work to reduce motor activity the patient, up to his absolute immobilization. The action of such drugs is based on blocking H-cholinergic receptors, which allow human muscles to perceive and respond to nerve impulses. Thanks to the use of muscle relaxants, it is possible to significantly reduce the dose of anesthetic drugs for general anesthesia.

Muscle relaxants are most often used in surgery for general anesthesia.

How to carry out the procedure

To understand why you can’t drink water or eat food after surgery, you need to understand the essence of this event (anesthesia). How exactly does it affect the patient? Anesthesia has many varieties, but regardless of the type of anesthesia chosen, the physician performs the same actions:

Pierces the selected vein to administer the medication (usually on the shoulder or hand) and installs a plastic catheter.
A special clip is attached to the finger of the hand. This device allows you to monitor the functioning of the respiratory system.
A cuff is attached to the patient's shoulder area. She measures the patient's blood pressure.
Electrodes are attached to the chest area to monitor heart function.

All preliminary manipulations allow the doctor to monitor the patient’s well-being during surgery. After installing all the necessary additional equipment, the patient is also given anesthesia medications. Medicines are introduced into the body through a special catheter installed in advance.

Anesthesia is a complex procedure that can lead to a number of consequences.

Side effects

Such complex and dangerous manipulations do not pass without leaving a trace. Anesthesia always leaves some side effects, and sometimes complications. After general anesthesia, the most common symptoms observed are:

chills and itching;
sleep problems;
confusion;
numbness of the limbs;
the appearance of hallucinations;
problems with speech function;
muscle and joint soreness;
nausea and profuse vomiting;
migraines and severe dizziness;
inhibition of thinking processes.

Such unpleasant symptoms can be observed throughout the postoperative period (when the patient recovers from anesthesia). Sometimes doctors noted that these side effects were felt by the patient for 2-3 days.

Consequences of anesthesia

After anesthesia, a person may experience a number of complications or severe allergic manifestations. In this case, side effects can affect the functioning of almost all internal organs:

cardiovascular system: cardiac arrest;
Central nervous system: stopping reflexes in certain areas of the body;
respiratory system: blockage of breathing, development of pulmonary infection.

Some people are afraid of such manipulation as general anesthesia, having heard about a number of accidents when patients never recovered from such a state and died. But it is necessary to understand that complete anesthesia is a necessary element of important life-saving operations and it is necessary. And if all conditions are met, the risks of anesthesia are minimized.

The nuances of anesthesia

Carrying out full anesthesia requires the fulfillment of certain rules and conditions before and after the event. Sometimes patients cannot understand why after anesthesia they cannot eat food or drink drinks, because often when coming out of such a state they feel unbearable thirst and hunger.

How to prepare for anesthesia

But such a ban should be taken with all seriousness and responsibility. After all, the successful outcome of the operation and recovery from the state of anesthesia without any consequences depend on how the patient adheres to medical recommendations.

Preparation for the procedure

Competent preparation for such a procedure is to ensure the patient’s body resistance during the operation, which greatly increases the chance of a successful outcome of the entire event. These recommendations should be taken as responsibly as possible:

Choosing a clinic. It is on the qualifications of the physician who will perform the operation that the postoperative period of a person and his return to normal life. Preference in choosing a clinic should be given to large-scale institutions, separately taking into account the degree of skill of the doctor and staff.
Conversation with an anesthesiologist. If you have to go on the operating table, you need to answer the questions the doctor asks without hiding, openly and completely. Basically, the doctor will be interested in the tendency to allergies and whether the person takes medications. It is also necessary to tell about past or current diseases. The type of anesthesia that the doctor selects will depend on this.
Refusal of liquids and food. 6–7 hours before the intended operation and the introduction of anesthesia, the patient is strictly forbidden to drink and eat (even if the body requires it). The only thing the patient can do is take (as prescribed by the doctor) some sedative medications to relieve stress and calm down before the operation.
Smoking ban. But you should completely forget about cigarettes 6-7 weeks before surgery. Remember that a smoker is most likely to experience dangerous consequences when coming out of medical sleep. This is due to problems with the respiratory and of cardio-vascular system which are often observed in smokers.

A competent way out of anesthesia

Bringing a person back to his senses and coming out of a state of medical oblivion is a complex and difficult process. It is carried out only under the supervision of a physician conducting surgical intervention. The most critical are the first 2–3 hours after the anesthetic drugs wear off. At such times, the patient may react, act, or speak inappropriately.

Hallucinations, pain, nausea and vomiting often develop. Therefore, the physician strictly monitors the patient’s condition upon recovery from anesthesia. In many cases, the patient is turned on his side, and in lying down turn the head around so that in case of sudden vomiting the patient does not choke.

Any type of anesthesia already implies the fact that in the subsequent postoperative period the patient is prohibited from drinking and eating. All necessary micronutrients will be supplied to the body through special nutrient solutions through a dropper. There are several explanations for this prohibition (consumption of food and drink).

Stopping the swallowing reflex. During surgery, a person experiences paralysis of the muscles of the larynx and pharynx. When a person comes to his senses after anesthesia, all lost reflexes are gradually restored. But for this you need certain time. This is why you should not drink water or eat immediately after recovering from anesthesia. You should wait for the swallowing reflex to recover.

During anesthesia, the swallowing reflex is blocked, so you should not drink water after recovering from anesthesia.

If a person suffers from unbearable thirst, you can only:

moisten lips with water;
rinse the mouth (without swallowing).

Otherwise, there is a risk of liquid or food entering the trachea and further aspiration. Against this background, pathogenic microorganisms can easily enter the trachea, which can provoke aspiration pneumonia. Also, liquid entering the trachea causes asphyxia, cutting off the access of oxygen to the pulmonary alveoli.

Nausea and vomiting. Aggressive drugs used to render a patient unconscious act on the brain centers. The action of these drugs always occurs against the background of a toxic effect. That is why immediately after the patient comes out of anesthesia, severe nausea is felt. This is another compelling argument related to the ban on eating and drinking.

If you drink water against the background of nausea after coming out of anesthesia, you can provoke severe vomiting, which is extremely dangerous in the postoperative period (sutures may come apart due to abdominal tension).

To relieve attacks of nausea, you should inhale slowly 5-6 times and rinse your mouth with cool water. This measure will provide significant relief.

Postoperative period

In the first days after surgery, the patient may experience painful manifestations varying degrees of severity. If pain is particularly severe, the doctor may prescribe pain medication to the patient.. Throughout its entire duration, the patient will have to maintain a number of strict restrictions (as when recovering from anesthesia):

maintaining a rest regime;
minimum level of activity;
do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages.

As the pain signals fade, the dosage of painkillers is gradually reduced. But the strictest ban on bad habits it remains valid. How much fluid can you take in the postoperative period? later? Before the operation, the doctor gives a complete and comprehensive picture of how to behave, what rules to follow after recovery from anesthesia and during the postoperative period.

Their nuances depend on the nature of the operation and the type of anesthesia used. On average, 2–3 hours after emerging from anesthesia, the patient is allowed to take a little water (several sips). And after 6-7 hours you can already drink in in full, drinking plenty of fluids during this period is even recommended.

This increased drinking regimen helps stimulate kidney activity, which promotes rapid elimination from the body of narcotic metabolites after anesthesia. But in any case, the specifics of the drinking regime in the postoperative period will be determined by the attending physician. The patient’s only responsibility is to strictly follow all recommended rules.