There’s an interesting thing:

ABC Online News said:

Patients are going without adequate sustenance before surgery and fasting guidelines need to be revised, a national meeting of anaesthetists has heard.

Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) met at Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain over the weekend for their annual rural Special Interest Group meeting.

A presentation by Dr David Rowe, an anaesthetist from Armidale in regional New South Wales, challenged the current guidelines for people fasting before morning surgery.

“The standard six hours for solids and two hours for certain types of clear fluids in most people’s practice end up, by accident, running up to 12, 13, 14 hours with no calories going in,” he said.

He said the body needed energy to recover from invasive surgery.

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What is the reasoning behind the current fasting requirements?

So you don’t regurgitate And aspirate that vomit during surgery.

Arts said:

So you don’t regurgitate And aspirate that vomit during surgery.

That’s what I suspected.
So this new kid on the block wants to fill them up with a Big Mac, Fries and a double malted milk shake so they can recover quickly?

Peak Warming Man said:

Arts said:

So you don’t regurgitate And aspirate that vomit during surgery.

That’s what I suspected.
So this new kid on the block wants to fill them up with a Big Mac, Fries and a double malted milk shake so they can recover quickly?

The wait times for surgery often blow out – having patients in a fasted state for way longer than required, he would like that to change…

Peak Warming Man said:

Arts said:

So you don’t regurgitate And aspirate that vomit during surgery.

That’s what I suspected.
So this new kid on the block wants to fill them up with a Big Mac, Fries and a double malted milk shake so they can recover quickly?

From what I know, there has been some discussion about fasting before surgery for a while. There have been some changes to modern anaesthetic techniques that don’t require such heavy sedation etc Which means more responsive patients. Small amounts of Water and clear liquids seem to be ok even during the fasting phase, so they should just get the natropaths onto it and get them to dilute some carbs into some water… Easy peasy….

Seems to me the difference between a slightly, very slightly impaired recovery and the risk of a catastrophic incident. In view of the risk potentials If surgery is planned it would be prudent to go in well nourished and fasted.

I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV but I have worked in risk management.