- Bird Flu Virus in Canadian Teen Shows Mutations That Could Help It Spread Among Humans
- Flu, COVID Vaccination Rates Remain Low as Winter Nears
- ’10 Americas:’ Health Disparities Mean Life Expectancy Varies Across U.S.
- Short-Term Hormone Therapy for Menopause Won’t Harm Women’s Brains
- Could a Vitamin Be Effective Treatment for COPD?
- Woman Receives World’s First Robotic Double-Lung Transplant
- Flavored Vapes Behind Big Surge in U.S. E-Cigarette Sales
- Reading Beyond Headline Rare For Most on Social Media, Study Finds
- Meds Like Ozempic Are Causing Folks to Waste More Food
- Fibroids, Endometriosis Linked to Shorter Life Spans
Do You Really Need to Fast Before a Common Cardiac Test?
Prolonged fasting before an internal heart exam done under sedation may be unnecessary, new research suggests.
Typically, patients undergoing coronary artery catherization are told to take nothing by mouth after midnight before the procedure, but a randomized controlled trial at a Midwest heart hospital found no need for it.
“Requiring all patients to fast for six hours or longer has remained an anesthesia guideline for procedures requiring conscious sedation for decades,” said study co-author Carri Woods, a manager of nursing at Parkview Heart Institute in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In cardiac catherization, a thin tube called a catheter is threaded through a blood vessel to the heart. It lets the doctor test pressures in the heart, remove tissue for biopsy, check for clots or open a narrowed artery.
The new study included 197 adult patients having elective cardiac catherization at Parkview Heart Institute.
One hundred were allowed to eat a specified diet of solid food low in fat, cholesterol, sodium and acid until the procedure. Ninety-seven were allowed nothing by mouth, except for sips of water with medication, starting at midnight before the procedure.
No one in either group had problems such as pneumonia, low blood sugar or aspiration after the procedure. Blood sugar levels, gastrointestinal issues and fatigue levels were similar.
“Our findings demonstrate that fasting isn’t necessary for every patient, and patient satisfaction and comfort can safely be put at the forefront of care,” Woods said in a heart institute news release.
As a result of the study, the hospital has updated its protocols for cardiology procedures to let patients eat before sedation.
The findings were published Jan. 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care.
More information
The Mayo Clinic has more about cardiac catherization.
SOURCE: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, news release, Jan. 1, 2024
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Related
-
Short-Term Hormone Therapy for Menopause Won’t Harm Women’s BrainsFour years of hormone replacement therapy to help women...
- November 22, 2024
-
Fibroids, Endometriosis Linked to Shorter Life SpansTwo conditions common during women’s childbearing years may increase...
- November 22, 2024
-
-120x134.jpg)
More Hot Flashes Could Mean Higher Odds for Type 2 DiabetesMenopausal women with frequent hot flashes and night sweats...
- November 4, 2024
-
Late-Life Menopause Linked to Higher Asthma RiskWomen who enter menopause at a later age have...
- October 30, 2024
