Everybody Eats!

EMRA*Cast

Food is routinely withheld from patients entering the emergency department in order to prevent the theoretical risk of aspiration should they require operative intervention or procedural sedation. This practice is not evidence-based and does more harm than good. EMRA*Cast host Peter Lorenz, MD, and guest Chris Reilly, MD, dig into the literature, best practices, and the humanity behind denying patients food or water in the emergency department.