Before your procedure

No – you do not need to contact us. We will send you important anaesthetic information via text message or email once your surgeon’s rooms notify us of your procedure.

This includes:

• General information about anaesthesia
• An introduction to your anaesthetist
• A health survey to help plan for a safe and comfortable anaesthetitc
• An estimate of your anaesthetic fee, which you must agree to, even if the fee will be fully covered by your health insurer or another party.

Please complete this as soon as possible so planning for your anaesthetic can being promptly. Failing to complete this process in a timely manner may delay your procedure

Yes – but only up to certain times. This is called fasting, and it’s crucial for your safety during anaesthesia. If your stomach contains food or fluid during your procedure, it increases the risk of complications and may cause delays or cancellations.

Please follow these fasting instructions carefully:

• • Morning surgery: No food after midnight. You may drink water, clear apple juice or black tea or coffee (no milk) up to 1 hour before hospital arrival.
  • Afternoon surgery: You can have a light breakfast before 7:00 am on the day. After that, you may have water, clear apple juice or black tea or coffee (no milk) up to 1 hour before hospital arrival. A light breakfast means dry toast or plain cereal with a small drink – no heavy, fatty or fried foods.

Blood Thinners

Your surgeon will tell you if you need to stop blood thinners like:

• Aspirin, Warfarin
• Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban), Pradaxa (dabigatran)
• Plavix (clopidogrel), Iscover

Be sure to tell your surgeon if you’ve had a heart stent in the last 6 months, as this can affect your management.

Diabetes Medications

• Oral medications (e.g. metformin, gliclazide): Withhold from the night before surgery.
• SGLT2 inhibitors – stop 3 days (72 hours) before surgery:
  • Dapagliflozin (Forxiga)
  • Empagliflozin (Jardiance)
  • Canagliflozin (Invokana)
  • Ertugliflozin (Steglatro)
• Insulin: Contact us or your endocrinologist for personalised advice. If using an insulin pump and confident in your control, you may continue using it.

If your blood sugar is low, a small amount of clear apple juice is okay and unlikely to interfere with your anaesthetic.

Ozempic, Mounjaro, Saxenda, Wegovy

You may continue these medications but must follow a liquids-only diet for 24 hours before your admission time.

Diabetes and Weight Loss Medications

All Other Medications

Take as normal unless instructed otherwise by your anaesthetist or surgeon. Your hospital may provide additional directions.

If you are unwell in the days before surgery, see your GP and contact your surgeon.

If you are unwell on the day, still attend the hospital as planned. Let the nursing staff know how you’re feeling when you arrive. Your anaesthetist will assess you and discuss whether it’s safe to proceed.

There’s a lot you can do to improve your outcome:

• Stop smoking – ideally 6 weeks before surgery. Never smoke in the 48 hours beforehand. Contact your GP, pharmacist or the Quit line for support.
• Exercise regularly – even light daily movement helps your overall health. As a minimum, 30 minutes of daily exercise of light to moderate intensity can improve your fitness.
• Avoid alcohol – especially in the days leading up to surgery.
• Follow all fasting and medication instructions carefully.

Yes – anaesthesia is safe while breastfeeding. Only small amounts of anaesthetic medications pass into breastmilk, and they are not harmful to your baby.

There is no need to pump and discard milk (“pump and dump”) after having an anaesthetic.

If your baby is under 6 weeks old and you require strong pain medication after surgery, this may need to be used with extra caution. Please let your anaesthetist know on the day that you are breastfeeding.

For your safety, you must have someone pick you up from hospital and remain in the company of a responsible adult for 24 hours after your surgery.

You must not drive, operate machinery, sign legal documents or return to work for at least 24 hours after a general anaesthetic or sedation.

You should make sure you have plenty of simple pain medications, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, available at home. Your anaesthetist will give you medications for stronger pain relief if required prior to your discharge.