Gastroscopy should be performed before water fasting for more than 2 hours, fasting for more than 6 hours, with delayed gastric emptying need to fast for a longer period of time, if necessary, gastric lavage or gastric tube drainage of gastric contents.
The main reason for not being able to drink water is that gastroscopy can have nausea, vomiting and other physiological reactions, which can lead to the patient’s gastric contents flowing back into the esophagus or trachea, and then cause aspiration pneumonia or even asphyxia and other adverse consequences, and painless gastroscopy patients in the anesthesia state are also prone to aspiration. In addition, the presence of water in the stomach will lead to a poor observation field of view of the gastroscope, affecting the results of the examination.
Seriously ill and weak patients can be rehydrated intravenously if necessary before gastroscopy, but patients should resume eating and drinking after gastroscopy according to the doctor’s instructions.