A randomised trial testing whether the removal of fasting requirements prior to cath lab procedures requiring conscious sedation has any impact on procedural safety and patient satisfaction has found no difference in complications in patients who fasted or did not fast before cardiac catheterisation procedures.
David Ferreira (John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia) presented findings of the SCOFF trial at the 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress (30 August–2 September, London, UK), where he argued that these results, alongside other existing evidence from studies such as CHOW-NOW, TONIC and Fast-CIED, should open the discussion about changes to guidelines recommending fasting as standard before cardiac catheterisation.
Here, Ferreira speaks to Cardiovascular News to digest the results of the trial and their implications for clinical practice.
