Research
Adherence
Current clinical guidelines recommend continuing GLP-1 receptor agonists for most patients undergoing elective surgery, shifting away from routine preoperative cessation.
Do not stop your GLP-1 medication before surgery unless your surgeon or anesthesiologist explicitly tells you to. Most modern guidelines now say you should keep taking it, and you should discuss your specific risk factors with them.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
This updated guidance states that 'most patients should continue taking their glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists before elective surgery' with emphasis on individualised risk assessment and shared decision-making.
Why this rating
Based on multi-society consensus guidelines from ASA, AGA, ANZCA, etc.
Source
Perioperative Management of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: Balancing Aspiration Risk with Therapeutic Benefit
Enoch Chi Ngai Lim et al. · SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine · 2025
DOI 10.1007/s42399-025-02079-9
narrative_reviewCited 5×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- GLP-1 receptor agonists significantly increase the volume of retained gastric contents in fasting patients, but this does not translate to a statistically significant increase in actual pulmonary aspiration rates.Strong
- Long-term stable use of GLP-1 receptor agonists results in attenuated gastric emptying effects (tachyphylaxis) compared to recent initiation, reducing perioperative risk.Good
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