Pre-procedural fasting for coronary interventions: is it time to change practice?

Introduction: Traditionally, patients are kept nil-per-os/nil-by-mouth (NPO/NBM) prior to invasive cardiac procedures, yet there exists neither evidence nor clear guidance about the benefits of this practice.

Objectives: To demonstrate that percutaneous cardiac catheterisation does not require prior fasting.

Methods: The data source is a retrospective analysis of data registry of consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina at two district general hospitals in the UK with no on-site cardiac surgery services.