How long should a patient refrain from food or drink before a cardiac catheterization?

• A. 2 hours
• B. 6 hours
• C. 8 hours, if possible
• D. No fasting required

Answer: (C)

Fasting before a procedure that uses sedation is aimed at preventing aspiration. When sedatives are used, protective airway reflexes are blunted, so a full stomach increases the risk of regurgitation and inhaling stomach contents into the lungs. Therefore, keeping the stomach empty as long as possible before the procedure is safest. Eight hours of fasting for solid foods is the commonly recommended duration, if feasible, to ensure the stomach is empty. Some guidelines permit clear liquids up to about two hours before, but solid meals should be avoided for eight hours when possible. Shorter fasting times, like two or six hours, do not reliably reduce aspiration risk in this context, and not fasting at all poses a real safety concern under sedation.