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Patient Resources

Preparing for Surgery

Before your surgery, review the general instructions below. Your surgeon, hospital, and anesthesia care team may give you instructions that are specific to your procedure. Follow their instructions if they differ from information on this page.

View General Instructions

01 / Before arrival

General Instructions

Before you come to the hospital

Please review the instructions below before your scheduled arrival. If you have questions about instructions for your procedure, contact your surgical team.

A clear countdown

When to stop eating and drinking

Count back from the time you are scheduled to arrive at the hospital—not from when surgery starts.

More than 8 hours

before arrival

Eat and drink normally.

Your usual meals, snacks and drinks.

Bread, a croissant, an apple, and a glass of juice

For example: bread, fruit, a pastry and juice.

At 8 hours: stop all food, including meals, snacks, gum, candy and mints.

8–6 hours

before arrival

No food.

Drinks may include:

  • Milk
  • Coffee or tea with creamer
  • Smoothies or protein shakes
  • Orange juice with pulp
  • Clear liquids are also OK
Milk, coffee with cream, a smoothie, and orange juice with pulp

Examples: milk, creamy coffee, smoothie, pulpy juice.

At 6 hours, stop milk, cream, protein and pulp.

6–2 hours

before arrival

Clear liquids only.

Choose clear drinks, with nothing added:

  • Water
  • Apple juice
  • Sports drinks such as Gatorade
  • Clear soda
  • Black coffee
  • Plain tea, with nothing added
Water, clear apple juice, clear soda, and black coffee

Examples: water, apple juice, clear soda, black coffee.

At 2 hours, stop all drinks.

Less than 2 hours

before arrival

Stop completely.

No food, drinks, gum, candy or mints.

Nothing to eat
or drink

From 2 hours before arrival onward.

Then, arrive as scheduled.

Use the hospital arrival time you were given. This countdown ends at arrival, not surgery start.

Worked example · scheduled arrival

If your arrival is at 6:00 AM

Before 10:00 PM

Eat and drink normally.

10:00 PM–midnight

Drinks only; no food.

Midnight–4:00 AM

Clear liquids only.

After 4:00 AM

Nothing to eat or drink.

Tobacco
Do NOT use any form of tobacco on your day of surgery.

GLP-1 medicines

IF YOU TAKE A GLP-1* YOU MUST NOT EAT ANY SOLID FOOD FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE SURGERY

See GLP-1 Agonists in the diabetes medicine table below.

A weekly pill organizer and medicine bottles on a warm wooden table.

02 / Medicines

Medicines to stop before surgery

Review the medicine classes below. If you are not sure whether a medicine applies to you, contact your surgical team.

Stop Taking the Following Medications

ACE-Inhibitors / Angiotensin Receptor Blockers
ExamplesBlood Pressure medications ending in “-pril” or “-tan”
Action
Stop 24 hours before surgery
Diuretics
ExamplesLasix, Hydrochlorothiazide, Bumex
Action
Stop the day of surgery
Erectile Dysfunction Medications
ExamplesCialis, Sildenifil
Action
Stop 24 hours before surgery
Weight Loss Stimulants
ExamplesPhentermine
Action
Stop 7 days before surgery
A glucose meter and unused testing strips on a sunlit wooden table.

03 / Diabetes

Diabetes medicines and insulin

Review the instructions below if you take a diabetes medicine or insulin.

Diabetic Medication Instructions

Secretagogues
ExamplesGlyburide, Glipizide, Glimepiride
Action
Stop the day of surgery
SGLT-2 Inhibitors
ExamplesInbokana, Farixga, Jardiance
Action
Stop 4 days before surgery
GLP-1 Agonists
ExamplesTrulicity, Victoza, Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, Zepbound
Action
No solid food within 24 hours of surgery. Clear liquids only after midnight. Stop clear liquids 4 hours before surgery.
Ultra long-acting Insulin
ExamplesDegludec (Tresiba)
Action
Normal Dose before surgery
Long-Acting
ExamplesGlargine (Lantus, Levemir)
Action
50 – 80% of your normal dose
Intermediate-acting Insulin
ExamplesNPH, 70/30
Action
Stop day of surgery
Short-acting Insulin
ExamplesHumlin, Novolin
Action
Stop day of surgery
Rapid-acting Insulin
ExamplesLispro (Humalog), Aspart (Novolog)
Action
Stop day of surgery

All diabetics on insulin should check their blood sugar the morning of surgery.

If your blood sugar is less than 70 mg/dL, DO NOT TAKE INSULIN treat it with glucose tablets or clear juice (e.g., apple, cranberry, Gatorade)

An empty hospital patient care room with a bed and clinical monitoring equipment.

Questions about anesthesia

Learn more about anesthesia care

For more general information about anesthesia, sedation, regional anesthesia, and other topics, visit Anesthesia Answers.

Visit Anesthesia Answers (opens in a new tab)

Common Questions

Questions before surgery

Need help with billing or a non-urgent practice question?

Billing & Payments