Shorter runway time linked to better colon cleansing

(HealthDay)—For patients undergoing combined esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and colonoscopy with propofol sedation, shorter runway time is associated with better quality colon cleansing, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of Digestive Diseases.

Alaa Alghamry, from The Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside, Australia, and colleagues prospectively recruited 892 consecutive patients undergoing simultaneous EGD and colonoscopy. At EGD they recorded residual gastric volume (RGV) and pH of gastric content, followed by colonoscopy.

The researchers found that shorter runway time correlated with better quality of colonoscopy cleansing. The mean runway time was 5.8 ± 2.0 hours and mean RGV was 17.7 ± 19.2 ml. No correlation was seen between RGV, pH, and runway time. For runway times of ≤4.0 and 5.0 hours or >4.0 and 5.0 hours, respectively, there was no difference in RGV and pH. The mean RGV was 35.9 ± 11.8 ml for the 2 percent of patients with runway time of ≤3.0 hours versus 17.4 ± 0.6 ml in the 98 percent of patients with runway time >3.0 hours (P < 0.001). There was no aspiration pneumonia. In a multivariable linear regression model, only younger age and male sex were independently related to higher RGV.

"Consumption of colonoscopy preparation within three to four hours before propofol sedation resulted in similar RGV and pH, compared to more prolonged fasting," the authors write.

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