Utility of urgent colonoscopy in acute lower gastro-intestinal bleeding:a single-center experience

Background.The role of urgent colonoscopy in lower gastro-intestinal bleeding(LGIB)remains controversial.Over the last two decades,a number of studies have indicated that urgent colonoscopy may facilitate the identification and treatment of bleeding lesions;however,studies comparing this approach to elective colonoscopy for LGIB are limited.Aims.To determine the utility and assess the outcome of urgent colonoscopy as the initial test for patients admitted to the intensive care unit(ICU)with acute LGIB.Methods.Consecutive patients who underwent colonoscopy at our institution for the initial evaluation of acute LGIB between January 2011 and January 2012 were analysed retrospectively.Patients were grouped into urgent vs.elective colonoscopy,depending on the timing of colonoscopy after admission to the ICU.Urgent colonoscopy was defined as being performed within 24 hours of admission and those performed later than 24 hours were considered elective.Outcomes included length of hospital stay,early re-bleeding rates,and the need for additional diagnostic or therapeutic interventions.Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with increased transfusion requirements.Results.Fifty-seven patients underwent colonoscopy for the evaluation of suspected LGIB,24 of which were urgent.There was no significant difference in patient demographics,co-morbidities,or medications between the two groups.Patients who underwent urgent colonoscopy were more likely to present with hemodynamic instability(P=0.019)and require blood transfusions(P=0.003).No significant differences in length of hospital stay,re-bleeding rates,or the need for additional diagnostic or therapeutic interventions were found.Patients requiring blood transfusions(n=27)were more likely to be female(P=0.016)and diabetics(P=0.015).Fourteen patients re-bled at a median of 2 days after index colonoscopy.Those with hemodynamic instability were more likely to re-bleed[HR 3.8(CI 1.06–13.7)],undergo angiography[HR 9.8(CI 1.8–54.1)],require surgery[HR 13.5(CI 3.2–56.5)],and had an increased length of hospital stay[HR 1.1(1.05–1.2)].Conclusion:The use of urgent colonoscopy,as an initial approach to investigate acute LGIB,did not result in significant differences in length of ICU stay,re-bleeding rates,the need for additional diagnostic or therapeutic interventions,or 30-day mortality compared with elective colonoscopy.In a pre-specified subgroup analysis,patients with hemodynamic instability were more likely to re-bleed after index colonoscopy,to require additional interventions(angiography or surgery)and had increased length of hospital stay.

Association of procedure length on outcomes and adverse events of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Objective:The aims of this study were to determine the effects of length of procedure on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)outcomes and adverse events.Methods:All ERCP procedures,performed by experienced advanced endoscopists,in patients without prior papillary intervention from 2006 to 2008 were reviewed.Procedures were arbitrarily divided into two groups:shorter procedures(SP),with a duration shorter than the overall mean procedure length,and longer procedures(LP),with a duration longer than overall mean procedure length.Length of procedure was defined as the time from endoscope insertion to endoscope removal.Results:Two hundred and ninety-five procedures were included in the analysis.Mean procedure length was 45.630.1 min.One hundred and seventy-seven procedures(60%)were SP and 118(40%)were LP.There were no differences between the groups with regard to patients’ages,genders,race,or trainee participation.SP cases were more likely to be biliary vs pancreatic or bi-ductal evaluations(P=0.03).LP had significantly higher complexity scores(34%with>3 vs 13%;P=0.046)and were more likely to require pre-cut papillotomy(39%vs 15%;P<0.001).There was no significant difference between the groups in overall completion rates(91.5%LP vs 96%SP;P=0.10)or adverse events(10.2%LP vs 6.2%SP;P=0.21).However,LP cases were associated with higher rates of post-ERCP bleeding(4.2%vs 0.6%;P=0.029).Conclusion:There was no significant difference in outcomes or overall adverse events between shorter and longer ERCP procedures.However,longer procedures were associated with higher procedure complexity,higher utilization of pre-cut technique,and increased risk of bleeding.