Pediatric Sedation: NPO Guidelines
Patients who are to undergo "conscious sedation" or general anaesthesia
should be made NPO prior to the procedure to decrease the risk of aspiration.
Individual hospitals have differing guidelines about the amount of time a
child of a given age will need to be NPO before a particular procedure. These
guidelines change with some frequency and may even differ between departments, so
it is best to check with institutional policy before instructing the patient. Here are
some generic guidelines:
| Age |
Solids and Milk (hours) |
Clears (hours) |
| Younger than 6 months |
4 |
2 |
| 6 - 36 months |
6 |
3 |
| Older than 6 months |
8 |
3 |
Clears includes water, pedialyte and apple juice; it specifically excludes
citrus juices and soda.
Please direct all comments to: 
Last modification: November 6, 2001