Fasting from food and drink before anaesthesia and sedation

If your child is to have anaesthesia or sedation the anaesthetist will tell you at exactly what time your child is to stop eating and drinking.

Your child will have to stop eating food at least six hours before the procedure. This means all food, including:

• jelly
• lollies
• chewing gum
• baby formula
• cow's milk
• juice containing pulp
• milk products such as yogurt and ice cream
• fizzy drinks

Your child will be able to have breast milk up to four hours before the procedure.

Your child will be able to have clear drinks up to two hours before the procedure. Clear drinks include:

• water
• clear juice
• ice popsicles
• Pedialyte from the chemist

Informed consent

Informed Consent is a process during which your doctor and other health professionals will share with you and your child all the information and advice that will enable you both to decide whether or not to consent to a procedure.

The ethical basis for the principle of informed consent comes from Right 7 of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights. You can ask for a copy of the Code from your hospital.

When you give consent, you will be asked again to sign a consent form unless it is for something minor requiring verbal consent only.

For more information, see the website of the Health and Disability Commissioner where you can:

Where to go for more information and support

Childhood cancer: Where to go for more information and support

Acknowledgements

All the fact sheets in the Childhood cancer section of this website have been written by health professionals who work in the field of paediatric oncology. They have been reviewed by the members of the National Child Cancer Network (NZ). Medical information is authorised by the National Child Cancer Network Clinical Leader.