In many institutions, when a patient is scheduled for surgery, the patient is contacted ... will still be asked to have nothing by mouth after midnight. This is done for a few reasons.

Stop smoking, if you smoke, well in advance of surgery. Stop taking certain medications that can make it hard for your blood to clot, such as blood thinners like Coumadin, Plavix, Xarellto, and the ...

Before your surgery, you will be asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery. If you are on blood thinners, you will be asked to stop taking them a few days before.