Afternoon Colonoscopies Have Higher Failure Rates Than Morning Colonoscopies

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Also Included In: Irritable-Bowel Syndrome
Article Date: 02 Jan 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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According to a study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, the time of day that a colonoscopy is performed may also affect its outcome. The study reviewed 1,084 patients who received colonoscopies between 8:00 a.m. and 11:59 a.m., and 999 colonoscopies performed after 12 p.m.

  A significantly higher number of patients had inadequate bowel preparation in the afternoon compared to the morning and, therefore, were unable to complete their colonoscopies. The patients unable to complete their afternoon colonoscopies were mostly females.

  “Every effort possible should be made to not only improve colonoscopy completion rates but also to improve the adequacy of bowel preparation,” says Dr. Madhusudhan R. Sanaka, main author of the study. “We speculate that our study findings may have significant implications in health-care cost savings by improving colonoscopy completion rates and also in improving quality of life for the patients.” The authors of the study recommend that colonoscopies be scheduled for the morning, especially in those sub-groups that consistently experience difficult colonoscopies.

The American Journal of Gastroenterology is the official publication of the American College of Gastroenterology. Aimed at practicing clinicians, the journal's articles deal directly with the disorders seen most often in patients. The journal brings a broad-based, interdisciplinary approach to the study of gastroenterology, including articles reporting on current observations, research results, methods of treatment, drugs, epidemiology, and other topics relevant to clinical gastroenterology. For more information, please visit http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/ajg

  The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) was founded in 1932 to advance the scientific study and medical practice of diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The College promotes the highest standards in medical education and is guided by its commitment to meeting the individual and collective needs of clinical GI practitioners. For more information, please visit http://www.acg.gi.org.



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