If you are scheduling for surgery, it is the right time to take a break from booze.
You might ask me why.
Well, believe me, alcohol and surgery is a bad combination. Drinking alcohol before surgery might cause negative impacts on the success of the procedure.
So, don’t put yourself at risk with some alcoholic beverages before you go under the knife. Scroll down for further explanation and advice from experts.
What happens if you drink alcohol before surgery?
The answer to the question of can you drink alcohol before surgery is obviously no.
But do you wonder what it will be when you drink alcohol?
Here are the consequences of imbibing prior to surgery.
More vulnerable
As you might know, alcohol is detrimental to humans, especially people who are scheduling for surgery.
When you drink alcohol, it is quickly absorbed into the blood and reaches all parts of your body. Then, your liver has to work hard to filter out your blood and break down alcohol.
However, the liver only works at a standard rate. It means when you drink too much, you are putting pressure on your liver and force it to work harder.
If you had alcohol before surgery, your liver has to deal with anesthesia as well as alcohol at the same time. It will damage not only your liver but also your immune system.
Blood clotting and recovery
The first and foremost thing that doctors will notice before operating is blood clotting. The normal blood clotting can prevent excessive bleeding on the operating table.
However, as alcohol is a blood thinner, it can affect your ability to clot blood naturally. It strongly depends on the frequency and volume of alcoholic beverages that you intake.
But, drinking alcohol before surgery even moderate amounts increases the risk of severe blood clotting problems. If it is not properly handled, patients might be put in a deadly situation.
Moreover, drinking alcohol before surgery can slow down recovery and weaken the immune system, which can leave your incisions healing slower and prolong recovery.
Post-op complications
Not to mention the impacts of drinking alcohol before surgery, imbibing habit is detrimental to human health.
We will start with some research.
An Annals of Surgery analysis taken by Reuters has pointed out that people who drink more than two alcohol beverages per day are more likely to encounter complications after surgery than non-drinkers or light drinkers.
According to Claudia Spies, a qualified healthcare specialist at the Charité University hospital from Berlin, heavy-drinkers, or adults who drink alcoholic beverages for prolonged periods have a considerably higher risk of complications after surgery.
They are more likely to suffer pneumonia, heart muscle diseases, and bleeding after intensive approaches. Moreover, drinking alcohol before surgery might lead to difficult breathing, infections, and the requirement of intensive care after surgery since the ability to self-healing is damaged.
Interfere with normal anesthetic drug metabolism
During many invasive procedures, the doctor will put you under general anesthesia with a combination of powerful drugs.
In general, your liver will take charge of metabolizing anesthetic drugs during and after surgery.
Depending on patients’ state of health, anesthesiologists dose them with a suitable dosage. They can also predict the natural disposal of anesthesia by the patient’s metabolism.
When you have alcoholic drinks, the amount of alcohol can affect normal anesthesia metabolism. It will affect the estimation for the correct dose that the anesthesiologist should give you. As a result, you might encounter many problems, from discomfort to lack of safety during operation.
How long should you quit alcohol before surgery?
As mentioned above, drinking alcohol before surgery is harmful.
When you are facing surgery, it is a must to stop drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours. Medical professionals agree that alcohol intake for 24 hours before surgery can even lead to death.
Moreover, the longer you can stay away from alcohol before surgery, the higher the chance of a fast recovery.
Hence, if you want to have a speedy and complication-free recovery, kicking alcohol to the curb is the best thing to do. And it should be done at least one week prior to medical procedures for the best results.
Moreover, you should quit smoking and give your liver and kidneys some rest before surgery day. It would be best if you also talked with your doctor about your drinking habits for more advice.
Final Words
Again, keep in mind that drinking alcohol before surgery is detrimental to your health. If you are a heavy drinker, try to resist the desire to go out for the booze. Remember to give your system a rest before procedures.
I hope this article can help you have some information about the negative impacts of alcohol on your surgery results. Thank you for reading!