Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 15 TSC 353 short lesson, about 20 seconds
NPO and Why It Matters
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The idea
Patients are usually told to take nothing by mouth, called NPO, for a period before surgery.
In practice
An empty stomach reduces the risk of vomiting and aspiration, the inhaling of stomach contents, during anesthesia.
Where people slip
In an emergency, a patient may not have fasted, and the anesthesia team plans for that higher risk.
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