Anesthesia NPO Guidelines

Pediactric Patients – who will receive anesthesia or sedation:

NOTE: These are general guidelines only that may need modification when applied to individual patients. The purpose is to reduce risk of aspiration by minimizing stomach contents at the time of anesthesia.

Patients < 6 months:

• No food, milk, or formula 6 hours before surgery
• Encourage water or apple juice, white grape juice or pedialyte 2 hours before or breastfeed 3 hours before, then NPO. (Feeding should be completed by these times).

Patients 6 – 12 months:

• No food, milk or formula after midnight
• Encourage water or apple juice, white grape juice, pedialyte or breastfeeding 3 hours before, then NPO. (Feeding should be completed by these times).

Patients 1 – 10 years:

• No food or milk after midnight
• May sip on water or apple juice, or other clear liquid up to 3 hours before, then NPO.

Patients < 10 years:

• Same as adult NPO guidelines