[Artificial nutrition and preoperative fasting].

Preoperative fasting is a currently adopted measure since Mendelson's report pertaining to aspiration pneumonia as a cause of death following general anesthesia. From a metabolic point of view fasting is detrimental because surgery in itself causes a state of hypercatabolism and hyperglycemia as a result of insulinresistance. Preoperative fasting has become almost obsolete in certain elective surgical procedures. In these cases the use of clear liquids is now well established and this paper focuses on the safe use of clear fluids, postoperative insulinresistance, patient comfort and postoperative outcome as well as its effect on the length of stay.