An endoscopy is usually not painful, but your doctor will usually give you a light sedative or anaesthetic. Because of this, you should arrange for someone to help you get home afterwards if you can. You will need to avoid eating and drinking for several hours before an endoscopy.
You can expect to be in recovery for 30 minutes to an hour before leaving the hospital if you had sedation. It can take 24 hours to wear off fully. You cannot drive, operate heavy machinery, or drink alcohol during this time. You may also prefer to eat softer food than usual, such as eggs and soups.
Options range from no anesthesia or sedation at all to general anesthesia, but for upper endoscopies, moderate or deep sedation is most common. The anesthetics that may be used to minimize pain and discomfort and reduce anxiety include propofol, benzodiazepines, and opioids.
There is minimal recovery involved with the upper endoscopy procedure, and little discomfort. Post-procedure symptoms may include grogginess from the sedation, a feeling of bloating, sore throat, nausea, difficulty swallowing, and mild pain where the IV was inserted. These usually resolve within 48 hours.
Most patients are able to eat immediately after endoscopy without problems. You may have a sore throat for 1-2 days, but this should resolve.
Surgeons use carbon dioxide to inflate the digestive tract during an endoscopy. This gas can put pressure on the diaphragm and cause discomfort in the chest area. If gas is the cause, this should subside by itself after a few days.
After an upper endoscopy only, your throat may be mildly sore. From all of the procedures performed here, you may feel some bloating or mild cramping because of the air introduced into your colon. This should be alleviated quickly by passing gas.
You shouldn't eat or drink after an endoscopy until you can comfortably swallow. When you resume eating, you should keep your meals small and light for 24-48 hours after the procedure. Alcohol should also be avoided for at least 24 hours. Once you feel like you're back to normal, you can resume your typical diet.
Yes, these examinations are safe, especially when carried out as part of prevention. The risk of complications is very low. The frequency of the appearance of complications during the endoscopy of the upper GI is 0.1%, while during a colonoscopy it is 0.3%.
During the Endoscopy
At this point, if you are receiving sedation, you will start to be sleepy and will most likely remain asleep throughout the procedure, which generally takes about 10 to 20 minutes.
You'll typically need to stop eating solid food for eight hours and stop drinking liquids for four hours before your endoscopy. This is to ensure your stomach is empty for the procedure. Stop taking certain medications.
You may be awake during the procedure. But you will take medicine to relax you (a sedative) before the test. Someone will have to drive you home afterward. Follow any other instructions your provider gives you to get ready.
The endoscope camera is very slim and slippery and will slide pass the throat into the food pipe (oesophagus) easily without any blockage to the airways or choking. There is no obstruction to breathing during the procedure, and patients breathe normally throughout the examination.
Because air is introduced through the endoscope, you may feel some bloating during and after the procedure. You may resume your usual diet unless instructed otherwise by your physician. Your throat may also feel scratchy or sore after the procedure, but this feeling subsides quickly.
It is recommended that you do not go back to work, do any strenuous exercise, drive, or sign any legal documents for 24 hours after the procedure. If you are taking any anti-coagulant medication (i.e., Coumadin, Heparin), please be sure to notify your doctor.
You should be able to go home as soon as you feel well enough to. For most people, this will be within a few hours. If you have sedation, you'll need someone to take you home and stay with you for 24 hours.
An endoscopy is a procedure where a special camera is used to inspect the gastrointestinal tract. A gastroscopy looks inside the beginning of the gastrointestinal tract. A gastroscopy is performed under a light general anaesthetic.
Although the rate of successful cannulation varies between centers, it varies between 82.6% and 98%.
“However, the discomfort related to gagging during an endoscopic procedure can be avoided, particularly by numbing the back of the throat and using sedatives,” said Dr. Perino. “As long as you are adequately sedated, you will not gag.”
Yes, you may chew gum but avoid those with soft centers or red or purple coloring. Yes, you may brush your teeth.
Warning About Upper Endoscopy
If you have severe abdominal pain, a continuous cough or fever, chills, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting within 72 hours after an upper endoscopy, call your doctor's office right away or go to the emergency room.
An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a light and a tiny camera on the end. The doctor inserts it into the mouth, down the throat, and into the esophagus. The doctor views the images on a screen to look for tumors or other health problems.
Lie on your right side with a heating pad on your abdomen. Take short walks to help pass gas. Eat small meals until bloating is relieved.
Since coughing during endoscopy has been attributed to an increased risk of aspiration-related postprocedural infection,19 respiratory infections might be underreported.